Reasons given by John Fitch for writing an account of his lifeÂ­ Origin of the Fitch familyÂ­ Emigration of the ancestors of Jobn Fitch to AmericaÂ­They settle in ConnecticutÂ­Marriage of Joseph FitchÂ­Birth of JohnÂ­Is sent to schoolÂ­Death of his motherÂ­ Second marriage of his fatherÂ­ Heroism of the boy, and punishment thereforeÂ­ Is taken from school ...
Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sets sail from Spain in an effort to find a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia.
Ferdinand de Magellan was born about 1470 of noble parents, and probably spent his boyhood as a page of the Queen of Portugal. As a young man he was in the East India service, then in Morocco. After a slight from King Manuel, he enlisted under the Spanish king, and set forth his project for a trip round the world. The expedition set sail August 10, 1519. Magellan was killed in April 1521 at Zebu [in the Phillippines], but they had already reached the eastern edge of the known world, and his men completed the voyage to Spain. The voyage proved that the earth is round (although most educated people knew this already!).