According to Gullivers Travels, It Was on This Day That Lemuel Gulliver Sets Sail

According to Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, it was on this day that Lemuel Gulliver set sail on board the Antelope from Bristol. This fictional voyage marks the beginning of one of literature’s most enduring and satirical journeys. Published in 1726, Gulliver’s Travels is presented as a travel memoir, and Swift assigns Gulliver’s departure to a specific date—adding a layer of realism to the fantastical narrative. Setting sail from Bristol, Gulliver embarks on a series of incredible adventures to lands such as Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and the land of the Houyhnhnms. Swift used these imaginative lands to parody and critique contemporary politics, science, human nature, and colonialism, making the book a classic not just of fantasy but also of sharp political satire.