Happy Fall, everyone. You might have noticed a sudden slight chill in the air at night or the changing of the leaves on the trees.

Maybe where you live, the leaves are changing from bright green to blazing red, orange, and yellow.

Fall is in the air and people are getting excited to celebrate holidays with family and friends.

But do you know what else happened during this fall season many years ago?

The sailing of the Mayflower, the historic ship that brought the pilgrims from England to America.

The year was 1620, and some people in Europe were finding it difficult to celebrate the religion of their choice.

A group of religious people, called pilgrims, decided they wanted to sail to a new land

to have the freedom to practice their own religion.

So they hired two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell, to sail them from Southampton, England,

to the new land of America.

They hoped to land in Virginia where a small settlement or town was being

built. To get there, they would need ships, supplies, and a crew of sailors. The pilgrims spent

months making arrangements. They bought farm animals, food, seeds, tools, weapons, and drink to take

with them across the sea. They hired a captain and a crew of almost

30 men, sailors and cooks, plus a surgeon, carpenter, gunner, barrel maker, and men to handle the cargo

and repair the ship. 102 pilgrims, including 18 women, three of whom were pregnant, and 11 girls

agreed to sail with the men.

Excitement was high. Everyone was anxious to set sail, but sad to say goodbye to loved ones who

would be staying behind. Finally, the big day arrived. On August 5, 1620, the Mayflower and

the Speedwell left Southampton, England,

sailing out of the harbor towards the open sea. The ships were packed to bursting,

with hardly an inch of space between all the passengers, crew, animals, and supplies. In various

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