Nathan Hale was a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is widely considered to be America's first spy after he volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission, but was caught by the British.
He is best remembered for his speech before his hanging, in which he said: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”.
He joined a Connecticut militia, becoming a first Sergeant. During the Battle of Long Island, Hale volunteered to go behind enemy lines to monitor the movements of the British.
He disguised himself as a Dutch teacher and made his way to New York. He was captured in a tavern after he was tricked into betraying himself as a patriot. He was apprehended near Flushing Bay in Queens.
He was taken to what is now 66th Street and Third Avenue and hanged. He was 21 years old.
