Fun Thanksgiving Facts

Written By: Miller and Associates Realty On: 18th November 2013 Under: Events, General, Uncategorized

Many Americans think of Thanksgiving as a time to celebrate getting out of school and work for a long weekend, and eating a great dinner. Or, maybe they think it is the start of the Christmas season. Check out these fun facts about Thanksgiving.

Fun Facts about the First Thanksgiving

• The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate Thanksgiving.
• The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America.
• They sailed on the ship, which was known by the name of “Mayflower”.
• They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.
• The Pilgrim leader. Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621. He invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians to the feast.
• The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.
• Mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, popcorn, milk, corn on the cob, and cranberries were not foods present on the first Thanksgiving’s feast table.
• Lobster, rabbit, chicken, fish, squashes, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup and honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and goat cheese are thought to have made up the first Thanksgiving feast.
• The pilgrims didn’t use forks, they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers.

History Facts about Thanksgiving

• Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the US
• Abraham Lincoln issued a “Thanksgiving Proclamation” on the third October in 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day of Thanksgiving.
• The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920’s.
• In 1939, President Roosevelt proclaimed that Thanksgiving would take place on November 23rd, not November 30th, as a way to spur economic growth and extend the Christmas shopping season.
• Congress to passed a law on December 26, 1941, ensuring that all Americans would celebrate a unified Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November every year.
• Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey and two dressed turkeys to the President. The President does not eat the live turkey. He “pardons” it and allows it to live out its days on a historical farm.

Fun Facts about Thanksgiving Today

• In the US, about 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations.
• Each year, the average American eats somewhere between 16 – 18 pounds of turkey.
• Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States.
• Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States.
• Although, Thanksgiving is widely considered an American holiday, it is also celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.
• Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, where it is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season.