On this day in 1776, 21-year old Nathan Hale, an American revolutionary soldier, was hanged in New York by the British as a spy. Tradition has it that his last words were: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
On this day in 1862, US President Abraham Lincoln issued his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves from Jan. 1, 1863 in rebellious southern states.
On this day in 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy signed an act establishing the Peace Corps, an independent overseas volunteer program of the U.S. government.