19 July: Important Slab Of Basalt Discovered; Retirement Time For Commander Cody

Today in History By The Associated Press | July 19, 2009 Today is Sunday, July 19, the 200th day of 2009. There are 165 days left in the year. AP. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: On July 19, 1989, 111 people were killed when a United Air Lines DC-10 crashed while making an emergency landing at Sioux City, Iowa; 185 other people survived. On this date: 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 1553, 15-year-old Lady Jane Grey was deposed after claiming the monarchy of England for nine days. King Henry VIII's daughter Mary was proclaimed Queen. In 1848, a pioneer women's rights convention convened in Seneca Falls, N.Y. In 1870, the Franco-Prussian war began. In 1943, Allied air forces raided Rome. In 1944, the Democratic national convention convened in Chicago with the renomination of President Franklin D. Roosevelt considered a foregone certainty. In 1969, Apollo 11 and its astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins, went into orbit around the moon. In 1975, the Apollo and Soyuz space capsules that were linked in orbit for two days separated. In 1979, the Nicaraguan capital of Managua fell to Sandinista guerrillas, two days after President Anastasio Somoza had fled the country. In 1984, U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York won the Democratic nomination for vice president by acclamation at the party's convention in San Francisco. In 1990, baseball record holder Pete Rose was sentenced to five months in prison for tax evasion. In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced a policy allowing homosexuals to serve in the military under a compromise dubbed "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue." Ten years ago: Federal officials said radar data showed the plane piloted by John F. Kennedy Jr. dropped 1,100 feet in just 14 seconds. Sen. Edward Kennedy released a statement saying, "We are filled with unspeakable grief and sadness by the loss of John and Carolyn and of Lauren Bessette." Five years ago: Mark Hacking of Salt Lake City shot and killed his wife, Lori, disposed of her remains, then reported her missing; he was later sentenced to six years to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder. A fuel tanker rigged as a massive bomb exploded near the Baghdad police station, killing nine people. A methane gas explosion in a Ukrainian mine killed at least 34 miners. Former Japanese Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki died at age 93. One year ago: Democrat Barack Obama visited with U.S. troops and met with officials in Afghanistan as part of a congressional fact-finding tour. The Indiana Fever defeated the New York Liberty 71-55 in the WNBA's first outdoor game, played at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. George McGovern is 87. Actress Helen Gallagher is 83. Country singer Sue Thompson is 83. Country singer George Hamilton IV is 72. Actor Dennis Cole is 69. Singer Vikki Carr is 69. Country singer-musician Commander Cody is 65. [We'll point out to the AP that Cody, in a Beefheartian move, is also in the ("fine art") painting biz. — Ed.]Actor George Dzundza is 64. Rock singer-musician Alan Gorrie (Average White Band) is 63. Rock musician Brian May (Queen) is 62. Rock musician Bernie Leadon is 62. Actress Beverly Archer is 61. Movie director Abel Ferrara is 58. Actor Peter Barton is 53. Rock musician Kevin Haskins (Love and Rockets; Bauhaus) is 49. Movie director Atom Egoyan is 49. Actor Campbell Scott is 48. Actor Anthony Edwards is 47. Country singer Kelly Shiver is 46. Actress Clea Lewis is 44. Country musician Jeremy Patterson is 39. Classical singer Urs Buhler (Il Divo) is 38. Actor Andrew Kavovit is 38. Rock musician Jason McGerr (Death Cab for Cutie) is 35. Today In Entertainment History --In 1911, Pennsylvania became the first U.S. state to pass laws censoring movies. 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 1954, Elvis Presley's first single was released by Sun Records. It was "That's All Right (Mama)" backed by "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Both songs were hits in Memphis.In 1966, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow got married. He was 51, she was 21.

In 1973, guitarist Clarence White of The Byrds was buried in California. He had been killed in a traffic accident.

In 1975, country singer Lefty Frizzell died in Nashville. In 1980, David Bowie made his stage debut in the Denver production of "The Elephant Man." In 1991, former Guns N' Roses drummer Steve Adler filed a lawsuit against the band. He claimed the other members had forced him to use heroin, then made him quit the band while he tried to kick his drug habit. In 1995, La Toya Jackson filed for bankruptcy, blaming her money troubles on a judgment against her after she cut short an engagement at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Thought for Today: "The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious ... the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science." -- Albert Einstein (1879-1955). © Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company (Really! That's what's typed right at the bottom of the page. Imagine that. — Ed.)