On this day in 1790, Captain Robert Gray, aboard the Columbia, completed the first US circumnavigation of the globe.

Around the World in 1000 Days? Three years earlier, in 1787, a Massachusetts trading company sent out two ships to trade sea otter pelts in the Pacific Northwest ~ The Columbia, captained by John Kendrick and the Lady Washington, captained by Robert Gray.

A Mighty Storm. The ships were separated at Cape Horn, but they were reunited in Nootka Sound, off Vancouver Island. There, they spent the winter.

The Otters That Trade in the Spring. In the spring, after extensive sea otter trading, Gray took over command of the Columbia and sailed it to China.

Otters for Tea. In China, Gray traded otters for tea. He continued around Asia and Africa, finally returning to Boston and a world record.