Did You Know?
On this day in history, there were several interesting things happen, worldwide, which changed the outcome of this world, as well as this country.
The Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, with the Pilgrims aboard, on this date, September 16, 1640. Eventually, this lead to the establishment of the Plymouth Colony in North America. The history and story of the Mayflower start long before that.
Its passengers were in search of a new life. Some were seeking religious freedom while others a fresh start in a different land. These passengers would go on to be known as the Pilgrims. They would influence the future of the United States of America in ways they never imagined.
Native Americans have called this country home for centuries prior to the arrival of the Pilgrims. So, this isn’t just about the Mayflower, but about the impact, and affect, the Pilgrims colonizing this land might have.
There’s over 30 million, or so, people who can trace their ancestry to one of the 102 passengers and 30 or so crew members who were aboard the Mayflower. The ship made landed no Plymouth Bay, Massachusetts during the winter of 1620.
There were men, women, children from all walks of life on board. These 102 passengers were from all across England as well as from Leiden, Holland.
Map of Mayflower Passengers (www.mayflower-400.com)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cSm19CaWnSYcQSVc7?g_st=ic
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=14FpieAPPOgib7rfl6qP94gmRqD0&femb=1
Importantly, the Pilgrims were not the first to land in America, nor did they discover it. There were already established colonies at the time. One was Jamestown – founded in 1607. So, as this tells us, this voyage by the Mayflower, with the Pilgrims, wasn’t the first voyage to land in the New Country, nor to discover it.
The passengers
The following passengers were on board the Mayflower, which includes my ancestors on my fathers side, which I and my cousin traced through Ancestry.com:
John Alden
Isaac and Mary (Norris) Allerton, and children Bartholomew, Remember, and Mary
John Allerton
John and Eleanor Billington, and sons John and Francis.
William and Dorothy (May) Bradford
William and Mary Brewster, and children Love and Wrestling
Richard Britteridge
Peter Browne
William Butten
Robert Carter
John and Katherine (White) Carver
James and Mrs. Chilton, and daughter Mary
Richard Clarke
Francis Cooke and son John
Humility Cooper
John Crackstone and son John
Edward Doty
Francis and Sarah Eaton, and son Samuel
Thomas English
Moses Fletcher
Edward and Mrs. Fuller, and son Samuel
Samuel Fuller
Richard Gardiner
John Goodman
William Holbeck
John Hooke
Stephen and Elizabeth (Fisher) Hopkins and children Constance, Giles and Damaris; son Oceanus was born during the voyage.
John Howland
John Langmore
William Latham
Edward Leister
Edmund Margesson
Christopher and Mary (Prower) Martin
Desire Minter
Ellen, Jasper, Richard, and Mary More
William and Alice Mullins and children Priscilla and Joseph
Degory Priest
Solomon Prower
John and Alice Rigsdale
Thomas Rogers and son Joseph
Henry Samson
George Soule
Myles and Rose Standish
Elias Story
Edward Thompson
Edward and Agnes (Cooper) Tilley
John and Joan (Hurst) Tilley and daughter Elizabeth
Thomas and Mrs. Tinker, and a son
William Trevore
John Turner, and two sons
Richard Warren
William and Susanna (Jackson) White, and son Resolved(son Peregrine was born shipboard in Provincetown Harbor after arrival).
Roger Wilder
Thomas Williams
Edward and Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow
Gilbert Winslow
"Mr. Ely"
Dorothy (John Carver's maidservant)
Source: New England Historic Genealogical Society
But the Mayflower story is renowned for its themes of freedom and humanity. These stories included the relationships first formed between the Native American Wampanoag tribe and the colonists and the first Thanksgiving.
To read more about this fantastic study of the Mayflower, its passengers, and how this voyage came about, check out this link:
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Seal for the US Selective Service System
The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke–Wadsworth Act, Pub. L. Tooltip Public Law (United States) 76–783, 54 Stat. 885, enacted September 16, 1940, was the first peacetime conscription in United States history. This Selective Service Act required that men who had reached their 21st birthday but had not yet reached their 36th birthday register with local draft boards. Later, when the U.S. entered World War II, all men from their 18th birthday until the day before their 45th birthday were made subject to military service, and all men from their 18th birthday until the day before their 65th birthday were required to register.
President Roosevelt signs the Selective Service Training and Service Act on Sept. 16, 1940, establishing the first peacetime draft and creating the Selective Service System
The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, created the country's first peacetime draft. With Europe already engulfed in World War II and Japan making threatening moves in the Pacific, Roosevelt wanted to strengthen the unprepared U.S. armed forces.
Before the U.S. entry into the war and despite strong isolationist sentiments across the country, Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 authorizing a draft. By October 1940 all men between the ages of 21 and 35 were required to register with their local draft board.
The Selective Service System and the registration requirement for America's young men provide our Nation with a structure and a system of guidelines which will provide the most prompt, efficient, and equitable draft possible, if the country should need it.
On Jan. 27, 1973, with the Paris Peace Accords signed and U.S. involvement in Vietnam over, Defense Secretary Melvin R. Laird announced the end of the military draft, after 25 uninterrupted years of conscription.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Training_and_Service_Act_of_1940
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Selective-Training-and-Service-Act
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1978 Tabas earthquake-Aerial View
The largest historic magnitude earthquake of inland Iran occurred at 15H, 35M and 53.05 (GMT) on Sept. 16th, 1978. The earthquake, measuring 7.7 on the Richter Scale rocked the city of Tabas in Iran. The death toll was in the range of 15,000–25,000 during the disaster. There was also severe damage that occurred in the town of Tabas.
Eighty percent of the human deaths occurred in Tabas. A total of 85 villages were also affected.
This seismic force was felt in Tehran, about 380 miles away. About 34–53 miles of ground deformation was observed, with about 5 feet 7 inches of maximum slip. Only one significant M5 aftershock occurred.
Just in case you are curious, the largest recorded earthquake in the United States was a magnitude 9.2 that struck Prince William Sound, Alaska on Good Friday, March 28, 1964 UTC.
Geologist, Dr. Bob Hatcher explains the frequency of regional earthquakes and how they differ from those along West Coast faultlines.
Frequent southern earthquakes have scientists stumped
For those living in DeStupidville, per News Press, in 1879, the largest recorded earthquake in Florida measured in at a 4.4 magnitude on the border of Putnam and Marion County in North Central Florida. This is the only earthquake recorded over the peninsula on the USGS database.
However, a larger 6.0 earthquake coming from a depth of 6.2 miles in the Gulf of Mexico rocked southwest Florida in 2006. It was Cape Coral’s first and it reportedly swayed some of the taller buildings on the Cape.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_Tabas_earthquake
Have a good, safe, evening!