On this day in 1521, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan was killed by the inhabitants of the island of Mactan in the Philipines.
On this day in 1887, the world’s first appendectomy was performed by American surgeon Dr. Thomas Morton in Philadelphia.
On this day in 1937, the Golden Gate suspension bridge linking the city of San Francisco with Marin County reached completion after four years.
And on this day in 1949, Republic of China President Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Shanghai and reiterated his determination to suppress the communist rebellion.