With Thanksgiving coming up next Thursday in the U.S., I thought it would be fun to share some interesting facts about this historical holiday.
Note: You can always turn these into a trivia game - much to the delight or chagrin of your company- while waiting for the turkey to cook! 
Abraham Lincoln was the first president to declare Thanksgiving observance for the last Thursday in November.
President Roosevelt officially made Thanksgiving a national holiday and set the date as the 4th Thursday of November.
The 1st Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 among the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians and lasted for 3 days. The actual date is unknown but is thought to be some time between September 21 and November 9th.
Food items most likely available for the first Thanksgiving:
- Turkeys, geese, ducks, partridge, and other waterfowl
- Venison
- Fish and Seafood
- Wheat flour
- Cornmeal
- Barley (mostly used for making beer)
- Beer
- Nuts
- Vegetables
- Dried Berries or Plums
Sorry, but these modern-day dishes were not present:
- Ham
- Sweet Potatoes/Yams
- Corn on the Cob
- Popcorn
- Cranberry Sauce
- Traditional Pumpkin Pie
272 million turkeys were raised in the U.S. this year!
Minnesota raises the most turkeys in the U.S. - 46 million of them! (It's got to be awfully loud on those turkey farms!)
Three towns in the U.S. are named after this Thanksgiving bird:
- Turkey, Texas
- Turkey Creek, Louisiana
- Turkey, North Carolina
Turkeys can drown if they look up when it's raining! (Keep them away from thunder clouds and sprinklers!)
And finally: The average person consumes about...ready for this?.... 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving!!! (OK, maybe I didn't want to know this fact!)
Photo credit: kindhelper
Related Posts -
Fun Facts about... Babies 1 baby is born every 8 seconds in the U.S. 105 boys are born for every 100 girls - worldwide The population of the world is approximately 6.63 billion people. In 6 months it is estimated to be 6.67 billion. That's roughly 40 million more people! In essence: a lot...... -
Holiday Meal Battle Plan The holiday eating season is upon us, beginning with Thanksgiving and continuing on through the new year. To someone trying to lose weight, this season can be a huge struggle! However, I say you can win the fight against weight gain, even while enjoying the festive foods of the season....... -
Welcome Ultimate Blog Partiers! 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting an Ultimate Blog Party March 7-15. It's where hundreds of women bloggers introduce their blogs and share a little bit about themselves. They're giving away prizes too! I really like prize #s: 140, 107, 67, 79, 129, and 108. Cool stuff! Read on for...... -
Fun Facts about Green Tea Green tea was originally from China. It is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, a type of shrub native to South and Southeast Asia. White tea, oolong, and black tea are also made from the Camellia sinensis leaves, but for green tea, the leaves are steamed immediately after picking,...... -
Day After A Binge Holidays are prime times to eat way more than is necessary with meals that are extremely rich and loaded with calories! It's fun to visit with family and feast on foods we normally would not allow past our lips, but it's not fun afterwards when we're in a food coma......
Related Websites -
The Truth About Taxes Note: Although I try to keep GRS a politics-free zone, today’s topic is inherently political. I’ve stayed as neutral as possible in the article, but I know that there’ll be some political discussion in the comments. Please keep conversation civil, as always. Because I was frustrated with my own ignorance...... -
Global Warming Week: The OTHER Facts and History of Global Warming Fact: We've only been able to accurately measure temperature since the late 1800's. This was after the industrial revolution, meaning we've only been able to track temperatures since we started really kicking out the CO2. We don't know what the temperature was before that. Or do we? I won't...... -
The Business Of Turkey Here we are, one day before Thanksgiving, the most important holiday between Halloween and Christmahanakwanzika, and it’s time to thaw the turkey. Go pick out your stuffing recipe, and meet me back here to learn about the $4.5 billion turkey industry. Turkey was served at the first Thanksgiving and eventually...... -
Why I Hate Thanksgiving With the Thanksgiving holiday bearing down upon us once again, it's that special time of year when you realize that your aunt still wears too much perfume and you wish God had given you just a little more patience in the personality department. Wait, that didn't sound quite right....... -
Salmon Run Golf Course, Brookings, OR Salmon Run Golf Course is located in: Brookings, OR Phone: 877.423.1234 Website: http://www.salmonruninfo.net/ Course History: This is a truly beautiful course that has won many accolades since it was first built. Most recently, Mike McAllister of Sports Illustrated included it in his special feature, Oregon: 72 Holes in 72 Hours......
- President US Political Historical Memorabilia Collectibles
- New Year Holiday, Seasonal Collectibles
- Thanksgiving Holiday, Seasonal Collectibles
Categories:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment