William Penn, English religious and social reformer and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, was born on October 14, 1644, in London. After suffering persecution in England for his adopted Quaker faith, Penn would establish freedom of worship for all inhabitants of his North American colony. Pennsylvania, while predominantly Quaker, soon became a haven for minority religious sects from across
![Today in History - October 14](https://cdn-ak-scissors.b.st-hatena.com/image/square/c509200ab32ddcbf1dc909b837182608cd5723f4/height=288;version=1;width=512/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.loc.gov%2Fstatic%2Fimages%2Ffavicons%2Fopen-graph-logo.png)