This Day in History - July 19th

1799: Rosetta Stone found

During Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign, a group of his soldiers discover a black basalt slab inscribed with ancient writing near the town of Rosetta. Ancient Greek script on the stone told archaeologists that it was inscribed in the second century B.C. The Rosetta Stone was studied for two decades before French Egyptologist Jean François Champollion made a startling discovery: The two Egyptian scripts on the stone--hieroglyphic and demotic--belonged to the same spoken language. The artifact thus held the key to solving the riddle of hieroglyphics, a written language that had been dead for nearly two millennia. With his knowledge of demotic, Champollion was able to decipher the hieroglyphics, and the language and culture of ancient Egypt was suddenly open to scientists as never before.

Also On This Day

1997

The Irish Republican Army, the IRA, announce a major ceasefire in its 28 year campaign to end British rule in Northern Ireland.

1996

Former heavyweight champion of the world and Olympic gold medalist Mohammad Ali lights the flame to open the 1996 Centenary Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

1996

The Bosnian Serb President, Radovan Karadzic, agreed to resign after an arrest warrant was issued for him by the International War Crimes Tribunal.

1980

Opening of the 22nd Olympic Games in Moscow - boycotted by more than 40 nations in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

1966

American singer Frank Sinatra marries actress Mia Farrow in Los Angeles.

1843

In Britain, the launch of the Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Western steamship at Bristol.

1588

The ships of the Spanish Armada are sighted off Lizard Point, in Cornwall on the English coast.

1545

English warship Mary Rose, pride of the battle fleet of King Henry VIII, sinks in the Solent with the loss of 700 lives. The ship is raised on October 11, 1982 and taken to Portsmouth Dockyard.

1333

Edward III of England defeats the Scottish Army at the Battle of Halidon Hill.