Jan. 23

The correct answer is: Ferdinand Magellan. Though it is not totally certain who discovered this region (some say it was Americo Vespucio in 1502), Magellan is believed to be the one who first spotted the native peoples of Patagonia in 1520. The Portuguese explorer was also the first to enter the Pacific from what is now known as the Strait of Magellan, a channel that separates the southern tip of South America from the Island of Tierra del Fuego.