1 of 6 | BP workers use shovels to clean oil from a beach at Port Fourchon, La., May 24, 2010. On July 15, 2010, BP announced it had capped its crippled underwater well that sent millions of barrels of crude gushing into the Gulf of Mexico for three months. File Photo by A.J. Sisco/UPI | License Photo

July 15 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1799, a French soldier discovered the Rosetta Stone, an ancient stele that served as the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. Now housed in the British Museum, Egypt has sought for decades the artifact's repatriation.

In 1806, Zebulon Pike began an expedition to explore the American Southwest.

In 1907, three organizations -- the Publishers Press Association, the Scripps-McRae Press Association and the Scripps News Associations -- joined to form United Press, which would eventually become United Press International. The wire service started business with 460 newspaper clients, of which 400 were evening newspapers and 60 were Sunday morning newspapers.