1. The very first Thanksgiving took place in 1621
at Plymouth Rock. Much like today, there was a crowd of hungry
pilgrims and Indians to feed.
2. Sarah Josepha Hale, a Boston magazine editor,
lobbied for Thanksgiving to be declared a national holiday. She
didn’t know that she’d end up in the kitchen.
3. It was during the Civil War in 1863 that President
Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November be observed
officially as Thanksgiving.
4. In 1941, a joint congressional resolution appointed
the fourth Thursday in November as the official holiday. Just
how many Thursdays are there in November anyway?
5. The cornucopia derived from the ancient Greeks
who customarily filled a curved goat’s horn with fruit and grain
to symbolize abundance.
6. Turkeys are native to North America and have
been gobbling around for more than ten million years.
7. Benjamin Franklin thought that, instead of
the eagle, the turkey should be our National Bird. He was outvoted—something
we can all be thankful for.
8. If you’re plucking turkey feathers, just remember
adult turkeys have over 35,000 of ‘em.
9. A perfectly ripe cranberry will bounce so take
careful aim when you throw one at a troublesome guest.
10. On January 31, 1957, our northern neighbor,
Canada, got into the act when
they appointed the second Monday in October as their official
Thanksgiving.
Each
November, on that designated Thursday, we gather together with friends,
family, in-laws and, in some cases, out-laws, to share a turkey
or two. In case you'd like to impress the gang, or just prevent
an awkward moment of silence, we put together a list of Thanksgiving
facts that may just come in handy as you pass the stuffing:
