Born on September 6
The First Voyage Around the World
Home again, the long way round.
Next: September 6, 2027
Where it comes from
This Story marks the anniversary of 6 September 1522, when the battered ship Victoria moored at the Spanish port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda and completed the first known voyage around the world. Five ships had left Seville in August 1519 under Ferdinand Magellan, seeking a westward route to the Spice Islands.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance, but the anniversary is a fine day to open an atlas and trace the route: across the Atlantic, around the tip of South America, over the Pacific to the Philippines and the Moluccas, then home around the Cape of Good Hope.
Did you know
At the Cape Verde Islands in July 1522, the crew found their calendar a day behind the one ashore: by sailing west with the sun all the way round, they had 'lost' a day.
Read the full story of The First Voyage Around the World
Star sign
Virgo · August 23 – September 22 · Earth sign
Careful and kind, the one who notices what everyone else missed.