EXPLORER

Juan Sebastián Elcano

1476 - 1526

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Juan Sebastián Elcano (Elkano in modern Basque; also known as del Cano; 1486/1487 – 4 August 1526) was a Spanish navigator, ship-owner and explorer of Basque origin, ship-owner and explorer from Getaria, part of the Crown of Castile when he was born, best known for having completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth in the Spanish ship Victoria on the Magellan expedition to the Spice Islands. He received recognition for his achievement by Charles I of Spain with a coat of arms bearing a globe and the Latin motto Primus circumdedisti me (You were the first to circumnavigate me). Despite his achievements, information on Elcano is scarce and he is the subject of great historiographical controversy, because of the scarcity of original sources which illuminate his private life and personality. Even in Spain, for example, the first biographies about him were written in the second half of the 19th century, after three centuries of neglect by historians. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Juan Sebastián Elcano is the 26th most popular explorer (down from 19th in 2019), the 55th most popular biography from Spain (down from 36th in 2019) and the 3rd most popular Spanish Explorer.

Juan Sebastián Elcano is most famous for being the first person to circumnavigate the world.

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Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, Juan Sebastián Elcano ranks 26 out of 498. Before him are Abel Tasman, Vitus Bering, Erik the Red, Xuanzang, Willem Barentsz, and Jacques Cousteau. After him are David Livingstone, Thor Heyerdahl, Thorfinn Karlsefni, William Adams, Jan van Riebeeck, and Vasco Núñez de Balboa.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1476, Juan Sebastián Elcano ranks 2. Before him is Pope Paul IV. After him are 2nd Dalai Lama, Yeonsangun of Joseon, Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, Huayna Capac, Louise of Savoy, Cuitláhuac, Girolamo Fracastoro, Helena of Moscow, Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, and Ayşe Hatun. Among people deceased in 1526, Juan Sebastián Elcano ranks 2. Before him is Louis II of Hungary. After him are Vittore Carpaccio, Ibrahim Lodi, Isabella of Austria, Scipione del Ferro, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, Emperor Go-Kashiwabara, Rodrigo de Triana, Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, and Elisabetta Gonzaga.

Others Born in 1476

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Others Deceased in 1526

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In Spain

Among people born in Spain, Juan Sebastián Elcano ranks 55 out of 3,355. Before him are Lope de Vega (1562), Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617), Luis Buñuel (1900), José Carreras (1946), El Cid (1045), and Tomás de Torquemada (1420). After him are John of the Cross (1542), Juan Antonio Samaranch (1920), Ramon Llull (1232), Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600), Jusepe de Ribera (1591), and Pep Guardiola (1971).

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Among EXPLORERS In Spain

Among explorers born in Spain, Juan Sebastián Elcano ranks 3. Before him are Hernán Cortés (1485), and Francisco Pizarro (1478). After him are Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475), Francisco de Orellana (1511), Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510), Juan Ponce de León (1460), Diego de Almagro (1475), Hernando de Soto (1500), Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (1465), Alonso de Ojeda (1466), and Juan Díaz de Solís (1470).

Spanish born Explorers

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