SEPT 27
1822
The Rosetta Stone is decoded
On this day in 1822, the world learned what the Rosetta Stone said. The irregularly shaped block of black granite bore the same piece of text in three scripts—most of which were indecipherable. Thomas Young made some progress decoding the stone. But it was Jean-François Champollion who realized that different types of hieroglyphs had different functions: some represented letters, some syllables, and some entire objects or concepts. So what was the meaning of this mysterious, ancient inscription? It was just political propaganda praising Ptolemy V.
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© Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Featured Event
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On this day in 1066, after being delayed by bad weather, William, duke of Normandy, embarked his army and set sail for the southeastern coast of England in what would be known in history as the Norman Conquest.
Featured Biography
© North Wind Picture Archives
German-born American cartoonist Thomas Nast, born this day in 1840, created one of the most popular images of Santa Claus but was perhaps best known for his attack on the Tammany Hall political machine of William M. Tweed.
More on September 27
Hanna Franzen—EPA-EFE/Shutterstock.com
2019
A week of international climate change protests—led by youths, notably Swedish activist Greta Thunberg—ended, with millions having participated in the demonstrations. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about climate change.]
© Imago/Alamy
2008
Chinese astronaut Zhai Zhigang performed China’s first spacewalk. [Take our quiz about famous astronauts and cosmonauts.]
© Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy
1996
The Taliban, led by Mohammad Omar, seized the capital city of Kabul, declaring all of Afghanistan an Islamic state.
Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum; photograph, Cecil Stoughton
1964
Following months of investigation into the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, the Warren Commission released its findings. [Read about nine infamous assassins and the world leaders they dispatched, including Lee Harvey Oswald, who killed John F. Kennedy.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1962
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published, and it became one of the most-influential books in the modern environmental movement. [Take our quiz about pollution.]
NBC/Kobal/Shutterstock.com
1954
The landmark late-evening talk show and variety program The Tonight Show premiered (as Tonight!), with Steve Allen as host. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about pop culture.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (cph 3f03935)
1918
British forces attacked the Hindenburg Line in the final offensive on the Western Front during World War I. [Sort fact from fiction in our World War I quiz.]
The Story of Lancaster: Old and New by William Riddle, 1917
1777
During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress, having fled Philadelphia, held a session in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, making the city the capital of the American colonies for one day. [Test your knowledge of the American Revolution.]
Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris
1601
Louis XIII, king of France from 1610 to 1643, was born. [How much do you know about French history?]
Alinari/Art Resource, New York
1590
Twelve days after being elected pope, Urban VII died, making his papacy the shortest in history. [Take our quiz about popes.]
Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
1540
