Wow Your Family With These Thanksgiving Facts

Wow Your Family With These Thanksgiving Facts

Hello friends,

Find interesting and lesser-known Thanksgiving facts to share with your family this holiday season! From the origins of the feast to fun traditions, learn 15 unique facts about Thanksgiving history, food, and customs.

Thanksgiving isn’t just a spread of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, it’s a holiday steeped in history, traditions and interesting facts most are unaware of. If you want to sound smart in front of the family around the dinner table or simply to expand your knowledge some, here are some Thanksgiving facts you won’t find in every other list (so maybe they’ll be good conversation starters).

Thanksgiving Wasn’t in November

Most people assume the first Thanksgiving was in late November, but historical evidence indicates that the first feast held between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe probably occurred sometime between late September and early October in 1621. The exact date is not known, but historians believe it coincided with the traditional harvest festivals of the day.

Turkey Wasn’t the Centerpiece at the First Thanksgiving

While turkey has become the main dish of modern Thanksgiving dinners, it was not necessarily the centerpiece of the first Thanksgiving dinner. The Pilgrims and Native Americans probably ate venison (deer meat), along with ducks, geese, seafood (such as lobster and clams), and native foods including squash, beans and corn. Wild turkeys are believed to have existed, but they weren’t the main course.

Why Do We Watch Football on Thanksgiving?

Several football games on Thanksgiving have families gathering around the TV after their meal, but there’s been some 150 years of tradition leading to this. Thanksgiving football started in 1876, when the sport was invented, and Princeton played Yale. Games on Thanksgiving Day became a permanent part of the NFL schedule in 1934, when the Detroit Lions played host to the first official game.

The First Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Had No Balloons

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, one of the most beloved holiday spectacles, began in 1924. But the original parade did not include the giant character balloons that we know today. It featured live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo, as well as marching bands and floats. The world-famous giant balloons, including the beloved Snoopy, didn’t get their start until 1927.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Inspired The Invention Of TV Dinners

One of the most surprising Thanksgiving facts is that the now-ubiquitous TV dinner was invented due to a Thanksgiving screw-up. Swanson, a food company in 1953, miscalculated turkey demand and had, unexpectedly, 260 tons of frozen turkey. To address the issue, they boxed the turkey together with a variety of starchy side dishes such as stuffing and peas in aluminum trays — and the TV dinner was created!

Thanksgiving Was Not an Official Holiday Until 1863

Thanksgiving has been celebrated since 1621, but it was not declared a national holiday until 1863. An influential writer named Sarah Josepha Hale (who also wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”) knocked for years to make Thanksgiving a federal holiday. And finally, it was during the Civil War that President Abraham Lincoln declared that it be celebrated as a national holiday to bring the country together.

The Wishbone Tradition Goes Back to the Romans

While many families snap the turkey wishbone for good luck, did you know this tradition dates back over 2400 years? The tradition of breaking a bird’s wishbone in two originated with the ancient Etruscans in Italy and was later taken up by the Romans. When the Pilgrims landed in America, they carried the custom with them and it became entrenched in Thanksgiving traditions.

Shopping Wasn’t Always What Black Friday Was About

BLACK FRIDAY is now a byword for shopping with big bargains, but the history of the term has nothing to do with shopping. The expression originated in the 1960s when Philadelphia police used it to describe the height of the crowds and vehicular traffic the day after Thanksgiving. Not until the 1980s did retailers relaunch it as a shopping holiday.

The Largest Pumpkin Pie Ever Made Weighed More Than 3,600 Pounds

Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving classic — but do you know what the world’s largest one looks like? The world’s largest pumpkin pie was made in New Bremen, Ohio, in 2010. It was 20 feet wide and a whopping 3,699 pounds, utilizing over 1,200 pounds of pumpkin, 525 pounds of sugar and 440 dozen eggs!

Benjamin Franklin Wanted the Turkey to Be America’s National Bird

The bald eagle is the United States’ national bird, but Benjamin Franklin had a different proposition — he wished for the turkey to be America’s national bird. In a letter to his daughter, Franklin made the case that the turkey constituted a “more respectable bird” and a “true native of America,” unlike the bald eagle, which Franklin thought was a scavenger. His advice, however, was ultimately dismissed.

453 Million Turkeys Are Eaten on Thanksgiving

The biggest day for eating turkey is Thanksgiving. About 46 million turkeys are consumed in the U.S. on Thanksgiving, and Christmas and Easter follow with 22 million and 19 million turkeys, respectively. Still, turkeys escaped extinction through learned farming and conservation efforts.

The President Wipes a Turkey’s Slates Clean Each Year

Every U.S. president since 1989 has taken part in the National Turkey Pardon. This silly tradition lets the president “pardon” a turkey from being eaten, moving it to a farm or sanctuary instead. While this tradition dates back to Abraham Lincoln, it was an official White House event starting with President George H.W. Bush.

Canada (and Other Countries) Also Celebrate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an exclusively American holiday, but other countries do have their own iterations of it. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October, and Liberia, Grenada and some of the Netherlands all have a Thanksgiving, too.

The Cranberry Sauce Tradition Began in the 1900s

Cranberries were probably consumed at the inaugural Thanksgiving, but cranberry sauce as we know it didn’t gain popularity until the early 20th century. Canned cranberry sauce, which debuted in 1912, made it easy for families to enjoy the sweet and tart concoction without having to deal with cooking fresh cranberries.

The First “Friendsgiving” Was Inspired by Thanksgiving Leftovers

The expression “Friendsgiving” gained popularity in the early 2000s, but the custom of friends celebrating the Thanksgiving meal together goes back decades. The idea of having friends over after Thanksgiving, especially college students and young adult friends, is believed to be borne out of having an overload of leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner.

Final Thoughts

Thanksgiving is a holiday steeped in rich traditions, its origins are often unexpected and there are some surprising facts about it that most people don’t know. The invention of TV dinners, debate over the national bird, first Macy’s Parade animals—these fun facts are sure to impress family and friends this Thanksgiving.

So, as you sit down and dig in to your feast, don’t just pass the mashed potatoes — pass along some of these fascinating tidbits and make your Thanksgiving dinner unforgettable!