Who was the first to circumnavigate the globe?

• A. Ferdinand Magellan
• B. Christopher Columbus
• C. Sir Francis Drake
• D. Vasco da Gama

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing the voyage that first proved a ship can go all the way around the world. Ferdinand Magellan set out in 1519 with a Spanish expedition to reach the spice routes by sailing west. Even though Magellan died in the Philippines, his fleet finished the journey under Juan Sebastián Elcano in 1522. That completed the first successful circumnavigation, showing the globe can be circumnavigated by sea and confirming the world’s roundness. The other figures didn’t achieve that historic first: Columbus opened up the Americas rather than sailing around the world, da Gama reached India by a sea route but didn’t circumnavigate, and Drake did complete a later circumnavigation, but the expedition linked to Magellan holds the record for the first.