Holidays

The Mayflower

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The Mayflower
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The Mayflower was an English merchant vessel that transported a group of religious separatists across the Atlantic Ocean in the early seventeenth century. This historic crossing concluded in North America, where the passengers established a permanent settlement that became a foundational event in the history of the New England colonies.

Did you know? While we picture the Pilgrims wearing black clothes with big buckles on their hats and shoes, they actually wore colorful outfits in shades of red, green, and blue, and shoe buckles were not even in fashion at that time. elaborate

Fact 1 of 27

27 facts about The Mayflower

  1. 1
    Many people believe the Pilgrims arrived in the New World on a brand new ship built specifically for explorers, but the Mayflower was actually a very old, secondhand vessel that had been hauling cargo for over a decade.
  2. 2
    The Mayflower had to sail through such violent weather that the crew had to use a heavy iron jackscrew to hold the ship's main beam together after it cracked in the middle of the ocean.
  3. 3
    The ship was only about 90 to 100 feet long, which is roughly the size of three school buses parked end to end.
  4. 4
    It is a common misconception that the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock because they intended to land there, but they actually aimed for the Hudson River.
  5. 5
    A baby named Oceanus was born on the ship while it was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
  6. 6
    While sailing through storms, the ship groaned and creaked so loudly that passengers thought the wooden hull might snap in half at any moment.
  7. 7
    The ship carried a massive mastiff dog and an English spaniel along for the journey.
  8. 8
    Many people think the Pilgrims wore only black and white clothing, but they actually wore colorful outfits in shades of red, green, and blue.
  9. 9
    The Mayflower was not a ship built for carrying passengers but was actually a merchant ship designed to transport wine barrels.
  10. 10
    Because of the constant dampness, many passengers suffered from the misery of having perpetually soggy woolen socks.
  11. 11
    The passengers had to share their limited living quarters with barrels of salted beef and dried biscuits.
  12. 12
    There is no record of the Pilgrims eating turkey at the first Thanksgiving, as they likely served venison, eel, and shellfish.
  13. 13
    Because they were so cramped, the passengers often used their wooden sea chests as both tables and chairs.
  14. 14
    The Pilgrims did not call themselves Pilgrims; they referred to themselves as Saints and called the non-religious crew members Strangers.
  15. 15
    A man named Edward Doty and another named Edward Leister fought the first recorded duel in the colony with swords and daggers.
  16. 16
    The Mayflower was so crowded that passengers had to sleep in stacked bunks with very little headroom.
  17. 17
    People often assume the Pilgrims were the first English settlers in America, but they actually arrived 13 years after the settlement at Jamestown.
  18. 18
    The smell on the ship would have been unbearable because 102 people lived in the same cramped hold for over two months.
  19. 19
    One passenger named John Howland fell overboard during a storm, grabbed a trailing rope, and was hauled back to safety by the crew.
  20. 20
    Despite popular imagery, the Pilgrims did not spend their first winter in log cabins, but rather in a partially completed wooden frame house.
  21. 21
    The Mayflower had to turn back twice early in the journey because her sister ship, the Speedwell, kept springing leaks.
  22. 22
    The ship carried a massive supply of beer because it was often safer to drink than the local water supplies during long voyages.
  23. 23
    Pilgrims did not actually plan to land at Plymouth; they were heading for the mouth of the Hudson River in present-day New York.
  24. 24
    The Mayflower was not built as a passenger ship; it was originally a cargo vessel used to transport wine and dry goods.
  25. 25
    Oceanus Hopkins was a baby boy born on the Mayflower while it was still in the middle of the stormy Atlantic Ocean.
  26. 26
    The pilgrims actually brought at least two dogs on the journey, a large English Mastiff and a smaller spaniel, who lived in the crowded quarters right alongside the human passengers.
  27. 27
    While we picture the Pilgrims wearing black clothes with big buckles on their hats and shoes, they actually wore colorful outfits in shades of red, green, and blue, and shoe buckles were not even in fashion at that time.
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