On Sept. 16, 1620, the Mayflower — an 80-foot British cargo ship carrying 102 passengers who wanted to build a new world — departed from Plymouth, England, on this day in history.

When the Mayflower pilgrims and the Wampanoag sat down for the first Thanksgiving in 1621, it wasn’t actually that big of a deal. Likely, it was just a routine English harvest celebration. More ...