In 1519, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan set out from Spain on a voyage to find a western passage to the Indies. Magellan was killed en route, but one of his ships eventually circled the globe.
In 1870, Italian troops took control of the Papal States, leading to the unification of Italy.
In 1873, panic swept the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in the wake of railroad bond defaults and bank failures.
In 1881, Chester A. Arthur was sworn in as the 21st president of the United States, succeeding James A. Garfield, who was assassinated.