Thanksgiving is one of America’s oldest and most loved holidays. Even though the story is steeped in a dark history of overcoming extreme hardship to be successful in their new lives, the holiday has become a cultural touchstone for most Americans. So while the turkey is in the oven and you’re counting down the time until you get to take that first bite of your feast, here are some fun trivia facts that you can share with your family. Play a trivia game-try old vs new and see who knows the most about our most loved holiday! How many of these did you know?
- The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted 3 days
- Historians have learned that Venison, swan, duck and goose were served-no turkey!
- Lobster, oysters and fish were also served
- John F Kennedy was the first President to pardon a turkey
- George H.W. Bush made turkey pardoning an annual event
- On average, people consume over 4,500 calories Thanksgiving Day
- The first Thanksgiving football game was played in 1876
- The first NFL Thanksgiving game was played in 1920
- There were only 5 women at the very first Thanksgiving
- Thanksgiving wasn’t a permanent national holiday until Abraham Lincoln made it so
- President Calvin Coolidge received a live raccoon as a Thanksgiving present
- The Wampanoag Native American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims
- The first Thanksgiving celebration took place in September
- Appx 46 million turkeys are prepared in America each year for Thanksgiving
- 12% of Americans skip turkey for their dinner
- The first Turkey Trot was held in 1896 in Buffalo, New York
- 80% of Americans prefer the leftovers to the actual dinner
- Thanksgiving in Canada is held the 2nd Monday in October
- Over 50 million pumpkin pies are consumed every Thanksgiving
- Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for Plumbers
- Americans prefer Apple Pie over Pumpkin Pie
- Male turkeys are the only ones that gobble
- Green Bean Casserole wasn’t introduced to Thanksgiving Dinner until 1955
- The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade first had balloons in 1928
- Over 3.5 million people attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade each year
- The average Thanksgiving Turkey weighs about 15 lbs
- California consumes the most turkey each Thanksgiving
- Stuffing is America’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish
We hope you have a fun and safe Thanksgiving no matter what your plans are! Be sure to get a jump on your Black Friday Shopping and find all your RV needs on our website!