what did ferdinand magellan discover

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who sailed under the flags of both Portugal and Spain. He is credited with masterminding the first expedition to circumnavigate the world. In 1519, he set off from Spain and sailed around South America, discovering the Strait of Magellan, which is named after him, and across the Pacific. He became the first European to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Although he was killed in the Philippines, one of his ships continued westward to Spain, accomplishing the first circumnavigation of Earth.