Over the Edge of the World by Laurence Bergreen
8 out of 10In anno Domini 1519, five ships carrying 260 men departed from Seville. Three years later, 18 men returned on a single vessel. (How many people do you lose on a normal cruise?) Some sailors deserted. Some were abandoned. But death came to almost everyone, including the captain general Magellan, via starvation, malnutrition, diseases, infections, inclement weather, mutiny skirmishes, executions, suicides, external battles, accidents, and drownings.
Despite all the tragedy, the voyagers became the first to ever circumnavigate the Earth. It was an amazing feat with long lasting effects.