Today:
1776: Nathan Hale, a captain in the Continental Army, was hanged by the British for spying during the Revolutionary War. His famous last words were reportedly, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
1789: The office of United States Postmaster General was established by the U.S. Congress.
1792: The French First Republic was proclaimed, marking a significant turning point in the French Revolution. This event followed the abolition of the monarchy.
1862: President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that as of January 1, 1863, all enslaved people in states still in rebellion against the Union would be free.
1888: The first issue of National Geographic Magazine was published.
1903: Italo Marchiony was granted a patent for the ice cream cone, revolutionizing the way ice cream was served and consumed.
1961: The Peace Corps, a volunteer program run by the United States government, was established by an act of Congress signed by President John F. Kennedy.
1975: Sara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford in San Francisco. A bystander, Oliver Sipple, deflected her shot.
1980: Iraq invaded Iran, beginning the Iran-Iraq War, a conflict that would last for nearly eight years.
1994: The first episode of the popular television sitcom “Friends” aired on NBC