In the woods near Plymouth, a matchlock musket roared. A hunter's quarry crumpled to the forest floor. But the prey was not some wild turkey or other woodland animal. John Newcomen was on the ground, blood streaming from one of his shoulders. Another man disappeared with his smoking musket into the forest. His name was John Billington, and he was about to become America's first murderer.

The story of John Billington, the killer pilgrim, is just one of many that history teachers seem to have forgotten over the years. How about the first American pirate? The first Jewish American to give his life for American independence? The first black minister? The man who invented chewing gum?

And how could we forget that the first woman to demand the right to vote did so in 1648 - and got it! A great many historical firsts happened far earlier than people assume, and twenty-five of the best stories are collected here in The Mayflower Murderer and Other Forgotten Firsts in American History.

Included is the story of One-eyed Charley Parkhurst, fearless stagecoach driver of the Old West, who single-handedly took on such famous bandits as Sugarfoot and Black Bart, despite the fact that Charley was a she! There's also the story of Tom Molyneux, the Virginia slave who earned his freedom in the boxing ring and went on to become the first African American to claim the undisputed heavyweight titles of both America and Great Britain.

Author Peter F. Stevens has collected the greatest of these lost legends, including dozens of photographs and sketches. The characters range from senators and inventors to forgers and poets. In "resurrecting" these men and women so unjustly robbed of their historical due, Stevens has crafted an entertaining and thought-provoking look at these missing pieces of the American history puzzle.