April 5, 1614 Pocahontas

In 1607, approximately 100 English colonists settled along the James River in Tidewater-area Virginia.  They called their little settlement “Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World.  One of the colonists, John Smith, was exploring the Chickahominy River that December, when he and two others were captured by Powhatan warriors.  The Powhatan Confederacy of the Tsenacommacah comprised roughly 30 Algonquin speaking tribes, led by Paramount Chief Wahunsonacock.

Smith’s two companions were killed.  John Smith himself was transported to the principle village of Werowocomoco, and brought before the Chief of the Powhatan.  His head was forced onto a large stone as a warrior raised a club to bash out his brains. Pocahontas, the favorite daughter of Wahunsonacock, rushed in and placed her head on top of his, stopping the execution.

Whether it actually happened this way has been debated for centuries. One theory describes the event as an elaborate…