How circling the globe has evolved in the 500 years since Magellan’s famous trip

Botanist Jeanne Baret and journalist Nellie Bly are two women who duplicated the feat

map of Magellan's route

This map, created by Genoese cartographer Battista Agnese ca. 1544, shows the approximate route Magellan’s fleet took around the world.

Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division

Half of a millennium ago, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew embarked on the first voyage to successfully sail around the world.