May Day dancers hold the ribbons and
dance around the pole. In some countries
May Day is a holiday that honors
workers, similar to Labor Day. May Day
is not an official holiday in the United
States.
May Day began as a spring festival in
Europe. In ancient times and during the
Middle Ages (AD 500–1500) Europeans
welcomed the end of winter.With the
arrival of spring, they were able to grow
crops again. They celebrated with eating,
singing, and dancing. The tradition of
May Day as a workers’ holiday began in
the late 1800s.
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Labor Day
Mayflower
In 1620 a ship called the Mayflower carried
a group of English people across the
Atlantic Ocean to North America. These
people set up the first permanent European
colony in New England at what is
now Plymouth, Massachusetts. Later
they became known as the Pilgrims.
Background
The Pilgrims were Separatists, or people
who had separated from the Church of
England. They were looking for the freedom
to practice their own strict form of
Protestant Christianity, known as Puritanism.
A group of English Separatists settled in
Holland (now The Netherlands) in
1608. They had religious freedom there,
but they did not feel at home. They
decided to go to North America, where
they could keep their English ways.
The Separatists first returned to
England on a small ship called the
Speedwell. Then they got the Mayflower
in a deal with some merchants. People
hired by the merchants also traveled on
the Mayflower. They outnumbered the
Separatists.
Voyage
The Mayflower set sail from Plymouth,
England, in September of 1620. The
captain was Christopher Jones.With
more than 100 passengers, the ship was
overcrowded. The sanitary conditions
were terrible. Many suffered from seasickness.
After 66 days, the Mayflower
An illustration shows the Mayflower sailing
across the Atlantic Ocean to North America.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Mayflower 83
landed on Cape Cod, in what is now
Massachusetts, on November 21, 1620.
Arrival
While still aboard ship, the travelers
prepared an agreement called the Mayflower
Compact. In it they agreed to
govern themselves with “just & equal
laws.” All the adult males on the ship,
including the non-Separatists, signed the
compact.
The travelers stayed on the ship until the
leaders decided where to settle. Finally
in December they chose a place, which
they named Plymouth. The Mayflower
remained nearby throughout the first
winter. People stayed on it until they
built houses. The ship went back to
England in the spring of 1621.
#More to explore
Plymouth Colony • Puritans
Mays,Willie
Willie Mays was a great baseball player
known for both his batting and his fielding.
He ranks among the all-time leaders
in home runs, hits, runs scored, and
runs batted in (RBI).
Willie Howard Mays was born on May
6, 1931, inWestfield, Alabama. In 1948
he joined the Birmingham Black Barons
of the Negro National League. He was
still in high school.
In 1950 Mays graduated and signed a
contract with the New York Giants of
the National League. He played two
seasons in the minor leagues before joining
the Giants at the major league level.
Mays was named rookie of the year for
the 1951 season.
Mays missed almost all of the 1952 and
1953 seasons while serving in the U.S.
Army. He returned to baseball in 1954
and became a star. He played for the
Giants in New York and, from 1958 to
1972, in San Francisco. Mays led the
league in home runs four times. He also
led in stolen bases four times. As a center
fielder he won 12 Gold Glove awards
for outstanding defensive play. Mays
played in 24 straight All-Star games.
In 1973 Mays finished his career back in
New York as a member of the Mets. He
retired with 660 home runs, 3,283 hits,
2,062 runs scored, and 1,903 RBI. Mays
was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
in 1979.
#More to explore
Baseball
It is believed
that the
Mayflower
made a few
voyages after
returning to
England and
was then broken
apart and
sold for wood.
Baseball player Willie Mays hits
a home run in 1964.
84 Mays, Willie BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Mbabane
Population
(2006 estimate)
78,700
Swaziland, a country in southern Africa,
has two main capitals—Mbabane and
Lobamba. Most of Swaziland’s government
offices and its High Court are in
Mbabane. The country’s lawmakers
meet in Lobamba.
Mbabane is among the larger cities in
Swaziland. It lies on the Mbabane River
within a hilly region. The city is a center
of government and business. The main
tourist center in Swaziland lies just outside
Mbabane.
Mbabane developed in the late 1800s
around the place where the Swazi king
kept his cattle. Great Britain took control
of Swaziland in the early 1900s. The
British made Mbabane the capital of
Swaziland. In 1968 Swaziland became
an independent country. Mbabane
remained the center for much of the
country’s government.
..More to explore
Swaziland
McKinley,
Mount
Mount McKinley is the highest
mountain in North America. It rises to
a height of 20,320 feet (6,194 meters).
It is located near the center of the
Alaska Range in south-central Alaska.
The mountain has two peaks, the
southern peak being the higher. The
upper two thirds of the summit is
