Today's Highlight in History:
On Sept. 22, 1776, Nathan Hale was hanged as a spy by the British during the Revolutionary War.
On this date:
In 1789, Congress authorized the office of Postmaster-General.
In 1792, the first French Republic was proclaimed.
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states should be free as of Jan. 1, 1863.
In 1927, Gene Tunney successfully defended his heavyweight boxing title against Jack Dempsey in the famous "long-count" fight in Chicago.
In 1950, Omar N. Bradley was promoted to the rank of five-star general, joining an elite group that included Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George C. Marshall and Henry H. "Hap" Arnold.
In 1957, the TV series "Maverick" premiered on ABC.
In 1964, the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 3,242 performances.
In 1975, Sara Jane Moore attempted to shoot President Ford outside a San Francisco hotel, but missed.
In 1980, the Persian Gulf conflict between Iran and Iraq erupted into full-scale war.
In 1989, songwriter Irving Berlin died in New York City at age 101.
Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton, addressing the United Nations, told world leaders to "end all nuclear tests for all time" as he sent the long-delayed global test-ban treaty to the Senate. Sportscaster Marv Albert went on trial in Arlington, Va., on charges of sodomy and assault. (Albert later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault, received no jail time and later had his record cleared.)
