· The Plymouth
Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving.
· The Pilgrims sailed
across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America.
· They sailed on the
ship, which was known by the name of 'Mayflower'.
· They celebrated the
first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
· The Wampanoag
Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.
· The Pilgrim leader,
Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621.
He invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians to the feast.
· The first
Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.
· Mashed potatoes,
pumpkin pies, popcorn, milk, corn on the cob, and cranberries were not foods
present on the first Thanksgiving's feast table.
· Lobster, rabbit,
chicken, fish, squashes, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried
fruits, maple syrup and honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and goat
cheese are thought to have made up the first Thanksgiving feast.
· The pilgrims didn't
use forks; they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers.
· The average weight
of a turkey purchased at Thanksgiving is 15 pounds.
· The heaviest turkey
ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.
· A 15 pound turkey
usually has about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.
· The five most
popular ways to serve leftover turkey is as a sandwich, in stew, chili or soup,
casseroles and as a burger.
· Turkey has more
protein than chicken or beef.
· Turkeys will have
3,500 feathers at maturity.
· Male turkeys gobble.
Hens do not. They make a clucking noise.
· Commercially raised
turkeys cannot fly.
· Turkeys have heart
attacks. The United States Air Force was doing test runs and breaking the sound
barrier. Nearby turkeys dropped dead with heart attacks.
· A large group of
turkeys is called a flock.
· Turkeys have poor
night vision.
· It takes 75-80
pounds of feed to raise a 30 pound tom turkey.
· A 16-week-old turkey
is called a fryer. A five to seven month old turkey is called a young roaster.
Fun Facts about Thanksgiving
· In the US, about 280
million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations.
· Each year, the
average American eats somewhere between 16 - 18 pounds of turkey.
· Californians are the
largest consumers of turkey in the United States.
· Thanksgiving Day is
celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States.
· Although,
Thanksgiving is widely considered an American holiday, it is also celebrated on
the second Monday in October in Canada.
· Black Friday is the
Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, where it is the beginning of
the traditional Christmas shopping season.
