Today in Histroy....September 22

On this day in …

1776, Nathan Hale, a Connecticut schoolteacher and captain in the Continental Army, is executed by the British for spying

1789, Congress authorized the office of Postmaster-General
1792, the first French Republic was proclaimed

1862, President Abraham Lincoln changes the course of the war and American history by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. Announced a week after the nominal Union victory at the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), this measure did not technically free any slaves, but it redefined the Union's war aim from reunification to the abolition of slavery

1893, America's first automobile was not built by a Henry Ford or Walter Chrysler, but by Charles and Frank Duryea, two bicycle makers. Charles spotted a gasoline engine at the 1886 Ohio State Fair and became convinced that an engine-driven carriage could be built. The two brothers designed and built the car together, working in a rented loft in Springfield, Massachusetts. After two years of tinkering, Charles and Frank Duryea showed off their home invention on the streets of Springfield, the first successful run of an automobile in the U.S.

1914, in the North Sea, the German U-9 submarine sinks three British cruisers, the Aboukir, the Hogue, and the Cressy, in just over one hour. The one-sided battle, during which 1,400 British sailors lost their lives, alerted the British to the deadly effectiveness of the submarine, which had been generally unrecognized up to that time

1927, Gene Tunney successfully defended his heavyweight boxing title against Jack Dempsey in the famous "long-count" fight in Chicago

1961, President John F. Kennedy signs legislation establishing the Peace Corps as a permanent government agency. Kennedy believed that the Peace Corps could provide a new and unique weapon in the war against communism

1964, the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 3,242 performances

1975, Sara Jane Moore attempted to shoot President Ford outside a San Francisco hotel, but missed

1980, the Persian Gulf conflict between Iran and Iraq erupted into full-scale war