Ferdinand Magellan is the most famous Portuguese ever. Two galaxies were named after him, a spacecraft that traveled to Venus, a crater on Mars, a strait, a bay, a GPS system, a computer, and so on. Magellan was not only a great navigator, but also a man of adventure. He lived in India and Africa, fought in the naval battles of Diu and Cananor, and was wounded twice in combat.

He also led the first expedition that would go around the world. On the way, he discovered the passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific—later called the Strait of Magellan—and crossed for the first time the world's largest. However, he did not reach the intended destination, as he died in combat in the Philippines. In fact, of the 237 crew of the five ships of the fleet that left Salúcar de Barrameda on September 20, 1519, only 18 returned to Seville, in July 1522. But without him, the greatest maritime adventure of all times would never have been taken.