Born June 6, 1755, Nathan Hale was a soldier in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and was, in fact, the first American spy in history. Captured behind enemy lines on September 15, 1776 by the British, he was sentenced to be hanged. The 21-year-old Hale's last words, from the gallows on September 22, 1776, were reportedly, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."