Thanksgiving Facts

It's Turkey Day and with that I have dug up some fun and interesting facts to bring out everything about this holiday.

The First Thanksgiving Likely Had No Turkey -Though there were plenty of wild turkeys in the area, reports vary about whether or not they were actually consumed at the feast, and most scholars agree that venison was the main course.

President Abraham Lincoln Made It An Official Holiday - Other Presidents, including George Washington, sometimes issued an annual proclamation establishing a day of giving thanks, but there was no official holiday on record until 1863 when President Lincoln made it official.

Football Has Been on the Menu Since 1934 - The tradition started in 1934 when the new owner of the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans moved the team to Detroit and decided to compete against the Tigers for their fan base. The Detroit Lions scheduled a game against defending world champions the Chicago Bears and the game was such a huge success that they decided to do a game on Thanksgiving every year. There has been a game on Thanksgiving every year except for the period of 1939 to 1944, during World War II.

Most Popular Parade In North America is Held on Thanksgiving Day - In 1924, Macy's employees marched six miles from Harlem to Herald's Square to kick off the Christmas season. They dressed up as clowns, knights and cowboys and were accompanied by marching bands and live animals from the Central Park Zoo. The event was so successful that they have held a parade every year since and it is now the most popular holiday parade in North America.

Thanksgiving Is Celebrated In Space - Astronauts celebrate Thanksgiving, even while living as far from their friends and family as possible on the International Space Station! According to NASA.gov

It's Not The Tryptophan That Makes You Sleepy - Turkey contains the essential amino acid L-Tryptophan which does make you sleepy. However, there's not enough tryptophan in a serving of turkey to cause drowsinessIn reality, you probably get sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner because you eat a lot of food in a short period of time.

45 Million Turkeys Are Consumed Every Thanksgiving - 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. at Thanksgiving, accounting for one sixth of all turkeys sold in the U.S. each year.