12 Thanksgiving Tidbits

In my eight decades on this beautiful earth, I wish to thank my friends and family for the joy, love and kindness that you have expressed to me over the years. I wish you all the very best in a rewarding and highly-satisfied life. Happy Thanksgiving!

And in the spirt of honoring the events that led up to this grand family-oriented American holiday, see 12 TIDBITS surrounding the Thanksgiving Story.

1. Religious freedom was what drove the Pilgrims (a group of people from England) to America to start a new life

2. The Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean and wanted to start their new life in northern Virginia, but bad weather pushed their small ship north to land that is now the state of Massachusetts

3. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 over a three day harvest festival. It included 50 Pilgrims, 90 Wampanoag Indians, and lasted three days. It is believed by historians that only five women were present

4. It was a key factor that Wampanoag Indians taught colonists how to find food, plant corn and catch fish

5. Turkey wasn’t on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. Venison, duck, goose, oysters, lobster, eel, and fish were likely served, alongside pumpkins and cranberries (but not pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce!)

6. Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3, 1863. Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who wrote “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” convinced Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday after writing letters for 17 years

7. George H.W. Bush is the president who formalized the turkey pardoning tradition in 1989

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

9. The average number of calories consumed on Thanksgiving is 4,500.

10. Butterball answers more than 100,000 turkey-cooking questions via their Butterball Turkey Hotline each November and December

11. The tradition of football on Thanksgiving began in 1876 with a game between Yale and Princeton. The first NFL games were played on Thanksgiving in 1920

12. More than 54 million Americans are expected to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday this year. That’s up 4.8% from last year

If there have been times when I haven’t thanked you for being there for me, I take this day to tell you how special you are and how great my life has become with you in it.

Have a warm, joyful and memorable Thanksgiving!

Bob