2020-09-22 Tue

Nathan Hale, American Revolutionary officer who attempted to spy on the British and was hanged. He volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City but was captured by the British and executed. Hale has long been considered an American hero and, in 1985, he was officially designated the state hero of Connecticut.

He attended Yale University, where he graduated in 1773, and became a schoolteacher, first in East Haddam and then in New London. He joined a Connecticut regiment in 1775, served in the siege of Boston, and was commissioned a captain.

Hale was captured on September 21, 1776, by the British while attempting to return to his regiment, having penetrated the British lines on Long Island to obtain information. He was hanged without trial the next day.

Hale is regarded by American Revolutionary tradition as a hero and a martyr. Nathan Hale appeared on U.S. postage stamps issued in 1925 and 1929.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org