Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I first want to wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving. The following is from thefactfile.org and gives many fun facts you can enjoy around the table this Thanksgiving:

"History of Thanksgiving

1. Ninety Wampanoag Native Americans and 50 Plymouth colonialists (Pilgrims) celebrated the first-ever autumn harvest celebration in 1621. While this celebration lasted three days, only five women were present.

2. According to the US National Archives, the first federal congress passed a resolution in 1789 requesting the then US president, George Washington, to name a national Thanksgiving Day. The president then proclaimed 26th November as the “Day of Public Thanksgiving” for that year.

3. Although subsequent presidents also proclaimed national thanksgiving days, the holidays fell on different days and months. However, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that Thanksgiving would be held on every last Thursday of November each year and that it would be a national holiday.

4. Since some Novembers had 5 Thursdays, the congress and senate made a new resolution in 1941 aimed at removing the confusion surrounding Thanksgiving. The then US President, Roosevelt, signed it, proclaiming the fourth Thursday of every November as the national Thanksgiving Day.

5. Thanksgiving in the US is also known as American Thanksgiving to differentiate it from the Canadian Thanksgiving, which became a national holiday in 1879.

6. Thanksgiving is the second favorite holiday among American adults, behind Christmas and ahead of Halloween.

7. In Europe, Thanksgiving is popularly known as Erntedank (“harvest thanksgiving festival”).

8. Thanksgiving is the most popular day in the U.S. for racing.

Thanksgiving Foods

9. Traditionally, a typical Thanksgiving dinner comprises turkey stuffing, roast turkey, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, corn, pumpkin pie, gravy, and green beans, and other foods.

10. Data from the US Poultry and Egg Association, Americans consume more than 45 million turkeys on Thanksgiving. Only male turkeys — appropriately named gobblers — actually make the sound. Female turkeys cackle instead.

11. According to the US Calorie Control Council (CCC), an average American may consume a whopping 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day.

12. On average, Americans purchase about 250 million pounds of potatoes as well as 77 million pounds of ham during Thanksgiving week.

13. Turkey is the most famous food consumed on Thanksgiving, to the point where Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called “Turkey Day.”

14. On the first Thanksgiving, Pilgrims and the Native Americans consumed freshly killed deer, cornbread, seafood, porridge, and assorted wildfowl, among other foods. However, turkey was not part of the Thanksgiving dinner.

15. There are three towns in the United States named “Turkey.” They can be found in Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina.

16. Minnesota raises the most turkeys in the U.S. Just six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Indiana—produce two-thirds of the birds raised in the United States.

Common Thanksgiving Traditions in the US

17. Every Thanksgiving Day, families and friends meet to share the thanksgiving dinner and give thanks for the blessings received in the past year.

18. Americans also line the streets to watch the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, which is usually characterized by a large crowd of people marching along the streets with huge inflatables held high above. The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade was held in 1924, and it mainly comprised Macy’s employees. The inflated balloons were later introduced in 1927.

19. During Thanksgiving dinner, a Y-shaped bone is removed from the turkey and set aside to dry. Once everyone finishes their meal, two people make wishes for the new year and break this bone, popularly known as the “Thanksgiving wishbone”, into two parts. Most Americans believe that whoever ends up with the larger piece of the wishbone will have good luck and his/her wishes granted for the new year.

20. Typically, eating Thanksgiving dinner is another popular tradition. It involves carving turkeys and making wishes.

21. While this may not sound like a tradition, most people take naps after thanksgiving dinner.

22. The main purpose of Thanksgiving Day is to give thanks. As such, every Thanksgiving, families, and friends share what they are most grateful for, particularly for the past year.

23. Students from across the US decorate hallways to set in the mood for Thanksgiving celebrations.

24. Although many Thanksgiving traditions originate from the first Thanksgiving, different families also have various traditions that mark their celebrations. For instance, some families go on vacations, play games, or hold family get-togethers.

Common Thanksgiving Activities in the US

25. On Black Friday, a day after Thanksgiving Day, Americans line up in stores to purchase goods at discounted prices. On this day, most stores usually make huge sales.

26. People also gather at home and in public places to watch football on Thanksgiving Day. Some even split into teams and start playing football in their yards.

27. The tradition of watching and playing football on Thanksgiving began in 1876, just after the invention of this sport. On this day, people gathered to watch and play football since it was a day that a majority of the participants, as well as spectators, had off from work.

28. The first professional football games on Thanksgiving were played November 25, 1920.

29. Thanksgiving is also a day on which philanthropic people give back to society. During this day, many communities, as well as charitable organizations, organize food drives to collect non-perishable foods, including dry foods, cereals, and canned foods, for the less fortunate in society. They also organize Thanksgiving dinners for the homeless and other less privileged people in society.

30. Americans also take part in races, popularly referred to as “turkey trots.” The races could be anywhere from 1 mile to half marathons. People take advantage of these races to burn some of the calories consumed on Thanksgiving. The Buffalo Turkey Trot is an annual 8K (4.97 miles) Thanksgiving footrace held in Buffalo, New York each Thanksgiving Day. The race proclaims itself to be the oldest continually running public footrace in North America, having established itself in 1896 and run every year since, even during World War I, the 1918 flu pandemic, World War II and the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

31. More people travel to Orlando, Florida than anywhere else on Thanksgiving.

32. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is known as “Drinksgiving.” Thanksgiving Eve Is Traditionally the Busiest Bar Night of the Year.

Thanksgiving in Canada

33. Unlike American Thanksgiving, which is usually held on every fourth Thursday of November, the Canadian Thanksgiving happens on every second Monday of October each year. It coincides with Columbus Day, which is an annual federal holiday in the US.

34. In 1578, an English explorer, Martin Frobisher and his crew, gave thanks after their safe arrival in Newfoundland, and this marked the first Thanksgiving in Canada. However, the first official Thanksgiving celebration was held on 6th November 1879.

35. Initially, Canadians celebrated their Thanksgiving Day on every first Monday of October annually. It was until 31st January 1957 when the Governor-General of Canada made an official announcement moving the thanksgiving celebrations to every second Monday of October each year.

36. While the Canadian Thanksgiving falls on a Monday, majority of the families hold their get-togethers and share their thanksgiving dinners on Sunday evenings.

37. In 2020, Canadians bought about 2.5 million whole turkeys from farmers on Thanksgiving Day. This represented about 36% of the total number of turkeys purchased for the whole year, as per the Turkey Farmers of Canada (TFC).

38. While Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the US celebrated in all 50 states, it is optional in Atlantic Canada.

39. During the American Revolution, some Americans moved to Canada and carried along some of the Thanksgiving traditions, including carving turkeys. It is worth noting that there are many similarities between the thanksgiving celebrations in the two countries.

40. Unlike in the US where large parades such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, are held, Canadian thanksgiving parades are typically smaller and are mostly held at the local level.

41. While thanksgiving foods consumed are similar in both countries, the recipes used to prepare them as somewhat different. For instance, the Canadian pumpkin pie is spicy while the American one is just sweet. Also, while Canadians use rice or bread crumbs for turkey stuffing, Americans mainly use cornbread.

Good Things Associated with Thanksgiving

42. Long-distance travels. During Thanksgiving, most people travel the world to either spend time with their loved ones or just retreat and have fun. For instance, in 2019 alone, a whopping 55.3 million people in the US traveled on Thanksgiving Day, as reported by Statista.

43. Turkey pardoning. Here, the President of the United States receives two live turkeys as a gift in a celebration held in the White House right before Thanksgiving Day. He then pardons them so that they can live on a farm. Usually, the pardoned turkeys spend their remaining days living in comfort.

44. There is an official Thanksgiving postage stamp.

Weird Facts about Thanksgiving

45. During the first Thanksgiving ceremony, the Pilgrims and the Native Americans ate their thanksgiving dinner using spoons and knives only. This is because by then, forks had not yet been invented. About 10 years later, Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts introduced the fork, although it didn’t become popular until the 1800s.

46. Cranberry juice is served in about 94% of Thanksgiving dinners across the US The easiest way to tell if a cranberry is ripe is to throw it on a wooden barrier and observe how it bounces. Ripe cranberries typically bounce higher than 4 inches when dropped over a wooden barrier. Cranberries are native to North America.

47. The breaking of the wishbone tradition is way older than thanksgiving. To give you an idea, it began from the ancient Etruscans who later passed it to the Romans and then to the British, before finally being passed to the Americans in the 16th century.

48. Although the song “Jingle Bells” is popularly sung during Christmas celebrations, it was originally composed to be sung on Thanksgiving Day. James Lord Pierpont wrote this song in 1857 and titled it “One Horse Open Sleigh” although he later changed it to “Jingle Bells” in 1859. And did you know that the song writer (James Lord Pierpont) was J.P. Morgan’s uncle?

49. The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade featured animals, including monkeys, bears, elephants, and camels, borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. About 44 million people watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade annually.

50. If you have any questions concerning turkeys on Thanksgiving Day, you can always call the Turkey Talk-Line through which turkey experts from Butterball will answer you. This company receives about 100,000 turkey-related calls in November and December alone. You can also connect with them on social media, live chat, or texting.

51. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be named the US national bird, particularly because it was one of the staple foods for the Pilgrims. However, Thomas Jefferson, the third US president, thought the eagle would be a better option. As a result, Franklin ended up naming the turkey “Tom” after Thomas Jefferson.

52. The TV dinner was born from Thanksgiving leftovers. Specifically, a worker at Swanson ordered excess frozen turkeys on the Thanksgiving Day of 1953. The company’s salesman suggested packaging the leftover turkeys in aluminum trays as well as cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes, and peas.

53. Sara Josepha Hale, the writer of the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb” was the woman who greatly contributed to making Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. She achieved this by writing letters to the government for 17 years before finally convincing President Abraham Lincoln to proclaim Thanksgiving Day a national holiday. Sarah Josepha Hale was actually the “Mother of Thanksgiving.”

54. The first Thanksgiving pardon happened in 1963 when President Kennedy joked, “We’ll just let this one grow. It’s our Thanksgiving present to him”. Later in 1989, President George H.W. Bush officially started the White House turkey pardoning ceremony, and it remains a Thanksgiving tradition to date.

55. Although some people think eating turkeys makes them sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner, the truth is that turkeys only have small contents of amino acids tryptophan, which can barely make someone drowsy. On the other hand, eating a lot of carbohydrates such as potatoes is more likely to make you sleepy.

Tips for Foreigners Visiting the US for Thanksgiving

56. There is more to Thanksgiving celebrations than just binging (to eat or drink too much, especially without being able to conrol yourself) on stuffed turkeys and watching football. There are plenty of recreational facilities that you can visit on Thanksgiving and have fun.

57. The rate of traveling usually surges every Thanksgiving season, and hence, prior planning is necessary to avoid inconveniences. For instance, ensure you book your flight on time in case you intend to travel during Thanksgiving. This is because flight and train delays are common around this time. The cost of tickets also goes up due to high demand. However, on the real Thanksgiving Day, fewer people travel and tickets can be cheaper.

58. Black Friday is one of the greatest shopping days that you can get to save a lot of money on your purchases. However, stores are usually flooded, and so, a little patience won’t hurt.

59. Black Friday, aka the day after Thanksgiving, is the busiest day for plumbers."

Reference: https://thefactfile.org/facts-about-thanksgiving/