A Thanksgiving Trivia Roundup

Nov 26, 2024

History

The Mayflower’s voyage from England to America took 66 days.
Though the Mayflower initially landed off the coast of Cape Cod, they ultimately settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The first Thanksgiving celebration likely occurred in September and lasted three days.
The Wampanoag Native American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the pilgrims.
There were only five women at the first Thanksgiving.
Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be America’s national bird.
Eleven other countries also celebrate their own version of Thanksgiving (Canada, Liberia, South India, Ghana, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, the Netherlands, Granada, and China.)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially made Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of every November.
Thomas Jefferson refused to celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday. (He firmly believed in the separation of church and state and thought “giving thanks” embodied religious principles.)
Harry S. Truman was the first president to receive a ceremonial Thanksgiving turkey.
Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a permanent national holiday.

On average, individual consumption of Thanksgiving dinner translates to 4,500 calories.
The world’s most expensive Thanksgiving dinner on record cost $150,000 at New York City’s Old Homestead Steakhouse.
Butterball has had a Turkey Talk-Line for almost 40 years.
About 50 million pumpkin pies are consumed every Thanksgiving.
Canned cranberries were first produced in 1912.
Ham is the most popular alternative to turkey on Thanksgiving.
The green bean casserole was introduced to the holiday menu in 1955,
Statistically speaking, stuffing is America’s favorite side dish.
The turkey's tryptophan doesn't make you tired (but overeating does!)
Approximately 80 percent of Americans prefer leftovers to the actual dinner.

Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant” is performed on many classic rock stations every Thanksgiving.
Gimbel’s department store hosted the first Thanksgiving Day parade in 1920 (four years before Macy’s held its first.)
About 3.5 million people attend the Macy’s parade annually.
About 8,000 people participate in the Macy’s parade each year.
Only male turkeys make the familiar “gobble, gobble” sound, while females purr and cackle.
Thanksgiving leftovers led to the invention of the iconic TV dinners.
The nefarious name of Black Friday was created to deter people from shopping.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the busiest day for plumbers. The day is so busy for these services that Roto-Rooter Plumbing and Water Cleaning company actually calls it "Brown Friday." 😳