November 11, 1620 – Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock

Having almost run out of food and beer, 41 Puritan separatists landed at Plymouth Rock in present-day Massachusetts on November 11, 1620.  Fleeing the persecution of the Church of England, they set sail on the Mayflower, wishing to worship as they wished and not as the official state church expected them to.  They originally planned to land further south, but the supply shortage forced them to land sooner.