Sir Francis Drake: Quick Facts

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Facts

Born	c.1540 or c.1543 • England
Died	January 28, 1596 • Caribbean Sea • Panama

Photos and Videos

Portrait of Sir Francis Drake with a lace ruff collar, mustache, and short curly hair, painted in oil on panel. The background includes his name in gold lettering.

World map showing the routes of the first circumnavigations: Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian del Cano's expedition from 1519 to 1522 is traced in red, and Francis Drake's voyage from 1577 to 1580 is traced in purple. Both routes start in Europe, cross the Atlantic to South America, pass through the Strait of Magellan, and continue across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, with Drake's route paralleling much of Magellan's path before returning to Europe. Key locations and years are labeled alon

Painting of Queen Elizabeth I in an ornate gown knighting Sir Francis Drake with a sword as he kneels on a red carpet aboard the Golden Hind, surrounded by onlookers and ships.

Map showing the transatlantic and global routes of major early voyages of discovery and exploration by Spain, Portugal, England, and France during the 15th and 16th centuries. The map traces the journeys of explorers such as Columbus, Cabot, Magellan, da Gama, and others, with labeled paths crossing the Atlantic and encircling Africa and South America, as well as lines of demarcation dividing Spanish and Portuguese exploration zones.

Sir Francis Drake, oil painting by an unknown artist; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Sir Francis Drake: Admiral, pirate, and explorer

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Durham, detail of an oil painting by T. Phillips (1819 replica); in the National Portrait Gallery, London

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Baron Anson, detail of an oil painting by an unknown artist, c. 1745–46; in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Eng.

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Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 11. Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin, photographed July 20, 1969, during the first manned mission to the Moon's surface. Reflected in Aldrin's faceplate is the Lunar Module and astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took the picture.

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Undated portrait engraving of Amerigo Vespucci.

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Vikings. Viking warriors hold swords and shields. 9th c. AD seafaring warriors raided the coasts of Europe, burning, plundering and killing. Marauders or pirates came from Scandinavia, now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. European History

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Old medieval wooden pirate military war ship with a cannon on the deck pointed out and aiming

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Sir Francis Drake: Quick Facts

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