September 22 --

This was not a good day for Nathan Hale. In 1776 he was hanged as a spit by the British during the Revolutionary War.

The French Republic was proclaimed on this day in 1792.

In 1862, President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states were to be freed on January 1, 1863.

Singer Kate Smith wrapped up a war bond drive today. She had been on the air for 13 hours straight, getting a whopping $39 million in pledges!

In 1980, the Persian Gulf conflict between Iran an Iraq erupted into full-scale war.