Which explorer led the first expedition to circumnavigate Earth, completed in 1522?

Ferdinand Magellan led the expedition that completed the first circumnavigation of Earth in 1522.

Magellan, a Portuguese navigator sailing for Spain, departed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda in 1519 with five ships. His fleet crossed the Atlantic, passed through the strait now called the Strait of Magellan, and entered the Pacific Ocean, which he named for its relatively calm appearance.

Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521 during the Battle of Mactan, so he did not complete the voyage himself. Juan Sebastián Elcano took command of the remaining ship, Victoria, which returned to Spain in September 1522 with 18 surviving crew members.

The expedition demonstrated in practice that Earth could be circumnavigated and revealed the immense scale of the Pacific. Magellan is therefore credited with leading the expedition, while Elcano is credited with completing the first circumnavigation.