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On this date in history:

In 1799, during Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign, a
French soldier discovered a black basalt slab inscribed with
ancient writing near the town of Rosetta, about 35 miles
north of Alexandria. The Rosetta Stone, as it was called,
held the key to solving the riddle of hieroglyphics, a
long dead written language.

In 1848, "bloomers," a radical departure in women's clothing,
were introduced to the first women's rights convention in
Seneca Falls, N.Y. They were named after Amelia Jenks Bloomer.

In 1911, Pennsylvania became the first U.S. state to pass
laws censoring movies.

In 1918, the end of World War I approached as the German
army began retreating across the Marne River in France.

In 1946, Marilyn Monroe was given her first screen test at
Twentieth Century-Fox Studios. Even without sound, the test
was enough to earn Monroe her first contract.

In 1969, John Fairfax of Britain arrived at Fort Lauderdale,
Fla., to become the first person to row across the Atlantic
alone.

In 1984, U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y., was chosen as
Walter Mondale's vice presidential running mate at the
Democratic National Convention.

In 1989, a crippled DC-10 jetliner crash-landed in a cornfield
in Sioux City, Iowa. Amazingly, 181 of the 293 people aboard
survived.

In 1990, baseball record holder Pete Rose was sentenced to
five months in prison for tax evasion.

In 1991, nine days of combat between Tamil rebels and Sri
Lankan soldiers left 78 soldiers and 600 rebels dead in the
fiercest fighting since 1983.

In 1993, the Pentagon unveiled its "don't ask, don't tell,
don't pursue" policy toward homosexuals in the U.S. military.

Also in 1993, former U.S. House Postmaster Robert Rota
pleaded guilty to conspiring to embezzle public funds.

In 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton said he could accept
a healthcare compromise that would cover about 95 percent
of the population. He previously said he would accept
nothing less than universal coverage.

In 1996, the Summer Olympics opened in Atlanta with a
record 197 nations taking part.

In 1997, the IRA declared a cease-fire in its long war to
force Britain out of Northern Ireland.

Also in 1997, Liberia's first peaceful presidential
election following a 7-year civil war was won by Charles
Taylor, a rebel leader with a reputation for brutality.

In 1999, hot weather settled in over the eastern United
States, lasting through the end of the month and causing
at least 200 deaths -- 80 in Illinois alone.

In 2003, leading Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr
announced plans in Iraq to form an independent "Islamic
army" and denounced the Iraqi governing council as
illegitimate.

In 2004, Sandy Berger, former national security adviser
to former U.S. President Bill Clinton and campaign
adviser to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry,
admitted taking classified documents from the National
Archives but said he did so inadvertently.

Also in 2004, a U.S.-conducted poll showed that more than
70 percent of Britons had a negative view of British Prime
Minister Tony Blair.

In 2005, U.S. Appeals Court Judge John Roberts was
nominated by U.S. President George Bush to the U.S.
Supreme Court, replacing the resigned Sandra Day O'Connor.

Also in 2005, North Korea agreed to resume stalled
six-nation talks on its nuclear program in Beijing on
July 26.