Death in the Philippines

Magellan reached the Philippines in March 1521 and began converting local chiefs to Christianity. When a chief named Lapu-Lapu refused, Magellan decided to attack with 49 men against an estimated 1,500 warriors. He was killed on the beach at Mactan.

It happened on April 27, 1521. Outnumbered roughly thirty to one, Magellan held the shallows to cover his retreating men while his crew watched helplessly from the ships, unable to land in time. The commander who planned the first circumnavigation never completed it — and his crew still had half a world to cross without him.