In 1656 In Patuxent, MD, the first all-female jury hears the case of a woman accused of murdering her child. The jury votes to acquit. In 1776 During the Revolutionary War, Captain Nathan Hale is hanged as a spy by the British after uttering, "I regret I only have one life to lose for my country." In 1789 Congress authorizes the office of the Postmaster-General. In 1792 The French Republic is proclaimed. In 1862 President Lincoln issues the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states should be free as of January 1, 1863. In 1903 Italo Marchiony is granted a patent for the ice cream cone. In 1927 Gene Tunney successfully defends his heavyweight boxing title against Jack Dempsey in the famous "long-count" fight in Chicago. In 1949 The Soviet Union explodes its first atomic bomb. In 1950 Omar Bradley is promoted to the rank of 5-star general, joining an elite group that included Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur. In 1950 The first