Francis Drake
Drake was born in England about
1543. He died in 1596; as you can see, he wasn't very
old. He was considered to be a pirate to Spain, yet a
hero to England. Drake's voayage around the globe from
1577 to 1580 was for England, and in particular Queen
Elizabeth I. After Magellan circumnavigated the globe
(went all the way around), there had been two different
ideas about the Straits of Magellan and the Tierra del
Fuego. Some people thought they were an island, while
other people thought they were part of a really big
southern continent (they called it Terra Australis).
While on his journey, he also pirated a lot of gold,
silver, pearls, and emeralds from Spanish ships. Drake
found out that Tierra del Fuego was an island. When he
returned to England in November of 1580, Queen Elizabeth
I came on his ship and knighted him. Drake had no formal
education, just what he learned on his own. He was the
most famous of all the sea captains of his time
period.
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