Guy Fawkes failed in his plot to depose the Anglican King James I and restore the Catholic tradition in Britain; in fact, his capture made life harder for the religious minorities, as James enacted ever greater restrictions. A group of religious separatists chose to flee rather than fight, obtaining a land grant in the New World and setting sail aboard the Mayflower, where they made an agreement – a compact – that their new society would have “just and equal laws.”

On this day, December 11, in 1620 the Pilgrims of the Mayflower sailed into Plymouth Harbor, where they would found their new settlement.

Where they ended up, in the modern-day state of Massachusetts, was far from where they first intended to go, the Dutch colony in what became Manhattan, New York. A powerful storm blew them south to Virginia, but for reasons still unclear, the captain of the ship decided to sail further until they reached Cape Cod. From there, it was just a hop across the water to Plymouth.