One of the biggest holidays for my family is Thanksgiving. I love the feeling of family and togetherness and of course all the food. Over the years I have heard different facts about the holiday that most people are aware of, and that got me thinking. What other little-known facts about our favorite holiday are there? With the approach of the holiday season, I love to learn new things about the different holidays that are coming up. Not only is it fun to learn new facts, but it is a cool way to start a conversation when you have nothing else to talk about. So here are 10 Interesting Facts about Thanksgiving that you may not have known.
Hope you enjoy it!
Officially a yearly Holiday
Originally each president had to declare the Thanksgiving Holiday each year. After many years of pressure, in the 1860’s writer, Sarah Josepha Hale was able to get President Lincoln to make it an official holiday that occurred every year. Another fact about Sarah is that she is the writer behind “Mary had a Little Lamb”
Dark Beginning
The first Thanksgiving has a not-so-happy history to it. The Pilgrims that landed in New England were not prepared for the weather that they encountered. Many died the first winter, those that did survive did so by raiding graves and buildings left by the decimated Wampanoag people that had been all but wiped out by disease brought by earlier travelers.
Thanksgiving Song
Though we think of the song “Jingle Bells” as a Christmas song it was intended by the composer to be a Thanksgiving song. Since it became so popular around Christmas in 1859 the name was changed from “One Horse Open Sleigh” and has become one of the most well-known Christmas songs today.
Start of a new era
The first frozen T.V. dinners came about due to an ordering mistake that was made by a Swanson worker in 1953. He made a mistake and ordered way too many turkeys for Thanksgiving that year. So someone came up with the idea to sell frozen turkey dinners and that is how the frozen dinner came about.
Thanksgiving Gift
Instead of a turkey as a Thanksgiving gift, President Coolidge was given a live raccoon in 1926. The family decided to adopt the animal and add it to their growing collection of live animals.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
The first Macy’s parade occurred in 1924 on Christmas day. Instead of balloons, the parade had animals from the zoo. The first balloon did not make an appearance until 1927.
The “real” first Thanksgiving
Though we often think of the Pilgrims as having the first “Thanksgiving”. There are claims that the first true Thanksgiving in North America occurred in the late 1500s near what is now Texas.
Bar Sales
The biggest day for bar sales in the country is the day before Thanksgiving. This is kinda a no-brainer with all of the family descending on your home. They are easier to deal with if you are not even there! And since most people have Thanksgiving off from work, it makes sense to hit up the local watering hole.
Football!!
The Detroit Lions have played a football game every Thanksgiving since 1934, with the exception being during WW2. In order to boost interest in the game, the owner of the team at the time convinced NBC to broadcast the game and a tradition was born.
Around the World
Even though we think of Thanksgiving as an American tradition, there are several other countries that have similar fall traditions to celebrate the harvest. One other country is Canada, though they celebrate on a different day and for different reasons.
So there you have it, my little list of lesser-known Thanksgiving facts that you can use to wow your guests on Thanksgiving!
Are there any other facts that you know of that I might have missed? Let me know in the comments!
Related Reading: 10 Interesting Facts about Candy and 10 Interesting Facts about the Human Body