HASS

Juan Sebastián Elcano was the commander who completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth started by Ferdinand Magellan (who died en route and never completed the circumnavigation).

Elcano had been one of the mutineers in Patagonia and spent 5 months in chains, but later, after the disastrous circumstances surrounding Magellan’s death, Elcano took command and led the remains of the expedition home. He was given high honours by Spain and a coat of arms indicating that he had undertaken the first circumnavigation. However, his name was later eclipsed in popularity by Magellan.

This resource examines the life of this relatively unknown explorer who was in fact one of the first people to travel around the whole Earth.

Famous as the man after whom the flowering vine, Bougainvillea, is named, this French explorer travelled around the world in the 18th century. This was one of France’s earliest exploration expeditions and also laid some of the foundations of the 20th century war in the Falkland Islands.

Bouganville’s expedition was a scientific one and included the botanist Jeanne Baret, the first woman to circumnavigate the world.

This resource examines Bouganville’s life and achievements.

Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón was the first Spaniard to attempt to settle on the continent of North America. He took 600 colonists (including 100 African slaves) to an area today in the US state of South Carolina. Unfortunately the attempted colony was dogged by illness and a lack of food. Ayllón himself died and the colony experienced North America’s first slave revolt. Very few survivors made it back to the Caribbean 3 months after they had left to found the colony.

This resource examines the life and contribution of Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón and his ill-fated attempt to settle in North America.