Today is a day that changed US history forever.

When you learned about our early settlers in grammar school, your teacher never mentioned beer. Possibly, the most pressing reason that the country’s first settlers settled where they did!

The Mayflower left England on September 16, 1620 and after a grueling, (storm and disease filled) 64 days at sea, on November 11, the ship dropped its anchor inside the hook tip of Cape Cod.

This was definitely NOT the plan: The people of the Mayflower originally had planned to land near (what is now) New York City months earlier than they did. They had first set sail in August, but their original ship, the Speedwell, sprang a leak that set them back a month. Then, encountering bad weather, their course was slowed and ever changing.

Now, in the midst of winter and with bad weather upon them, they tried, but failed to get to their scheduled destination. So, on December 26th, 1620 – 387 years ago, today – they chose to settle close to where they first landed in Cap Cop, in what the ship’s navigator called “Thievish Harbor,” near which is now known as Plymouth Bay.

These voyagers are quoted with saying: “We could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer, and it being now the 19th of December.”

Without beer, Plymouth it was!

TAGS [ BEER | PLYMOUTH | MAYFLOWER | PILGRIMS ]