On Sept. 22, 1776, during the Revolutionary War, Capt. Nathan Hale, 21, was hanged as a spy by the British in New York.

Ten years ago

A high-speed maglev train crashed in northwestern Germany, killing 23 people in the first fatal wreck involving the high-tech system. Three Christian militants were executed in Indonesia for leading attacks on Muslims in May 2000 that left at least 70 people dead. Hewlett- Packard Co. Chairwoman Patricia Dunn resigned in the wake of the company’s ill-fated investigation of boardroom media leaks.

Five years ago

A group of European researchers at the world’s biggest physics lab in Switzerland claimed to have measured a subatomic particle, a neutrino, traveling faster than the speed of light, a finding that challenged Einstein’s theory of relativity (however, the results were refuted by other scientists). American diplomats led a walkout at the U.N. General Assembly as Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fiercely attacked the United States and major West European nations as “arrogant powers” ruled by greed and eager for military adventurism.

One year ago

Pope Francis arrived from Cuba on the first visit of his life to the United States; President Barack Obama, his wife and daughters personally welcomed the pontiff at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Seattle for a three-day visit before heading to Washington. Volkswagen AG acknowledged putting emissions-cheating software in millions of vehicles worldwide. Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, 90, died in West Caldwell, New Jersey.

— By The Associated Press