1552: Begins his career at sea as an apprentice on a merchant ship.
1560: Commands his own ship, the Judith, and makes his first voyage to the Americas.
1562-1563: Captures a Spanish galleon loaded with treasure off the coast of Panama.
1567-1568: Circumnavigates the globe, becoming the first Englishman to do so.
1572-1573: Attacks Spanish settlements in the Caribbean and South America.
1581: Knighted by Queen Elizabeth I for his services to the crown.
1585-1586: Commands a fleet of ships against the Spanish Armada and helps to defeat the invasion.
1595-1596: Leads an expedition to the Caribbean and South America, capturing several Spanish settlements.
1596: Dies of dysentery off the coast of Panama.