Ferdinand Magellan was the first (at least his crew) to successfully lead an expedition to circumnavigate the world. (he died on the voyage, but ~3 sailors made it back i believe, forgot the number of sailors, but very little)
His exploration was the first to circumnavigate the globe, proving the Earth was not flat. He is credited for circumnavigating the globe; however, he was killed by head hunters somewhere around the Philippines/Southeast Asia (I think...).
The general consensus amongst the Civil Rights leaders during World War II was that the fighting in World War II would advance the cause of the Civil Rights movement as people would see the paradox of discriminating against the very people who were helping to protect American values by fighting for their country.
