This Day in History: July

1: July 19, 1799: Rosetta Stone Discovered
The Rosetta Stone—a rock inscribed with parallel passages of ancient Greek writing, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Demotic script—has had quite a history. Follow this chapter of its transient story involving Napoleon and what the black basalt slab meant to him.



4: July 16, 1872: Roald Amundsen is Born
Amundsen lived a life of unparalleled adventure, leading the first successful expedition through the Northwest Passage and the first airship flight over the North Pole. But his greatest achievement was undoubtedly his race to the South Pole against British explorer Robert Falcon Scott.

5: July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap for Mankind
This day in history, July 20, 1969 … at 4:17 pm eastern daylight time, the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle lands. That same night, American astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first human being to set foot on the moon, followed 19 minutes later by Buzz Aldrin.