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They'd already tried once. The Mayflower and a second ship, the Speedwell, set o
1620 Event

September 6

Pilgrims Sail from Plymouth on the Mayflower: Heading for the New World

They'd already tried once. The Mayflower and a second ship, the Speedwell, set out together — but the Speedwell leaked so badly they turned back twice. Some passengers gave up entirely. The Mayflower finally left alone with 102 passengers crammed into a cargo hold roughly 80 feet long. The crossing took 66 days through autumn North Atlantic storms. One person died en route. One was born. They landed nowhere near their patent. And half of them were dead before spring.

September 6, 1620

406 years ago

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