90 Miles From Tyranny : September 16, 1620: The Mayflower departs Plymouth, England, with 102 Pilgrims and about 30 crew for the New World

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Wednesday, September 16, 2026

September 16, 1620: The Mayflower departs Plymouth, England, with 102 Pilgrims and about 30 crew for the New World






Voyage Details
  • Departure Date: September 16, 1620 (New Style / Gregorian calendar).
  • Passengers: 102 religious separatists and other settlers, commonly known as Pilgrims.
  • Crew: About 30 men led by Master Christopher Jones.
  • Destination: Originally bound for the Hudson River area within the Virginia territory, but storms blew the ship off course.
  • Arrival: Dropped anchor near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on November 21, 1620, after a 66-day journey. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Of the 102 passengers — about half religious Separatists (“Pilgrims”) seeking freedom from the Church of England, and half “adventurers” or entrepreneurs drawn by promises of profit and land in the New World — and around 30 crew members.

Context and Purpose
The Separatists, many of whom had fled to the Netherlands in 1608, had secured a land patent from the Virginia Company and financial backing from the London Adventurers. Their original destination was the Virginia Colony, where Jamestown had been founded in 1607.

More This Day In History:

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June 28, 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand Is Assassinated
June 30, 1908 The Tunguska explosion (or Tunguska event)
July 1, 1863: The Battle Of Gettysburg Begins
July 2, 1937 Amelia Earhart disappears
July 3, 1775: George Washington Takes Command Of The Continental Army
July 4, 1776: The Declaration Of Independence Is AdoptedJuly 13, 1949: Pope Pius XII excommunicates all communist Catholics
July 17, 1918: The Romanov Family Is Executed By Communists
July 19, 1799: The Rosetta Stone Is Discovered
July 21, 1861: The First Battle of Bull Run
July 22, 1298: William Wallace Is Defeated At The Battle Of Falkirk
July 25, 1898 - U.S. forces invade Puerto Rico
July 26, 1847 - Liberia proclaimed its independence: Wakanda Realized.
July 29, 1588: The Spanish Armada Is Defeated
August 3, 1492: Christopher Columbus Sets Sail For The New World
August 4, 1790: Alexander Hamilton creates Coast Guard to intercept smugglers that avoided Tariffs
August 5, 1620: The Mayflower Makes Its Failed First Attempt To Depart England
August 12, 1898: Armistice ends the Spanish-American War
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August 14, 1945: Japan’s surrender made public on Victory over Japan Day, (V-J Day).
August 15, 1914: The Panama Canal officially opened
August 16, 1858: The First Transatlantic Telegraph Is SentAugust 18, 1920: DISASTER - Women Win The Right To Vote In The United States
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August 22, 1791: Haitian Revolution Murders all the whites
August 24, 1814: British Forces Burn The White House
August 27, 410 A.D.: King Alaric's Visigoths Sack Rome
September 1, 1939: Nazi Germany Invades Poland starting World War II
September 1, 2004: Radical Islamist separatists attack the Beslan school in Russia in a holy war between Muslims and infidels.
September 2, 31 BC: Octavian defeated Mark Antony decisively at the Battle of Actium, off the western coast of Greece.
September 2, 1945: World War II officially ended when Japan signed the formal Instrument of Surrender
September 3, 1783: The Treaty of Paris was signed ending the American Revolutionary War

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