Which expedition became the first to circumnavigate Earth, completing the voyage in 1522?

The Magellan expedition became the first expedition to circumnavigate Earth when its surviving ship returned in 1522.

Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led the Spanish expedition that departed in 1519 with five ships. Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521, so he did not complete the voyage himself. Juan Sebastián Elcano took command of the surviving ship, Victoria, which reached Spain in September 1522.

The expedition crossed the Atlantic, passed through the strait now called the Strait of Magellan, crossed the Pacific, and continued through the Indian Ocean and around the Cape of Good Hope. Only Victoria returned, with 18 survivors from the original crew. The voyage demonstrated on a practical scale the global extent of Earth’s oceans, although earlier travelers had completed portions of long-distance routes.