On this day in 1944, American General Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines, attacking the Japanese near Manila.
On this day in 1964, the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea becomes independent after 164 years of British rule.
And fifteen years ago, on this day in 1999, a strong earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale rocked Taiwan at 1:47am, killing more than 2,415 people and injuring 11,000 others. The 921 Earthquake, as it is now known, was the second deadliest earthquake in Taiwan’s history and it resulted in more than US$10 billion in damage.