10 Unusual Thanksgiving Facts
Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with family and friends (and a time to gorge on copious amounts of turkey and carbs). Snack on these unusual Turkey Day facts in between bites of stuffing and pumpkin pie.
1. Thanksgiving was once mistaken for Halloween
Thanksgiving was a little eerie around the turn of the century. In cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, children and adults would dress up in masks and conduct costume crawls. Thanksgiving was dubbed "Ragamuffin Day" in New York because of the habit of children dressing up like poor folks.
2. There are three towns in the United States called Turkey
These communities can be found in Texas, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Other towns named after Thanksgiving include Pilgrim, Michigan, Cranberry, Pennsylvania, and the amusingly named Yum Yum, Tennessee.
3. It is the author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" who is responsible for Thanksgiving becoming a national holiday
The first Thanksgiving was declared by the Continental Congress in 1777, but the custom faded away around 1815. It wasn't until Sarah Josepha Hale, best known as the author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb," petitioned several presidents to make it a national holiday that it became one.
When President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863, she finally achieved her goal. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, did not have a specific date until 1941, when it was established as the fourth Thursday in November.
4. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons used to float off into the sky at random
Until 1932, when the New York parade was over, balloons from the event were released into the sky. Macy's offered a $50 reward to anyone who found and returned a deflated balloon. Unfortunately, it was a bad idea because the massive balloons would burst after they had cleared the skyline. Science!
5. Turkey does not cause fatigue
According to legend, the tryptophan in turkey causes us to be exhausted on Thanksgiving. According to WebMD, turkey does not contain any more tryptophan than any other form of poultry. It's more likely that you're weary as a result of the obscene amount of carbohydrates you just consumed.
6. Minnesota is the world's leading producer of turkeys
If turkeys in the United States could communicate, they would say "pop" instead of "soda." Annually, 44 million to 46 million turkeys are raised in Minnesota.
7. The date of Thanksgiving was once a marketing ploy
In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt formally moved Thanksgiving to the second-to-last Thursday in November in order to stimulate more holiday shopping and strengthen the economy. That choice didn't go over well, and he was compared to Hitler as a result.
8. "Jingle Bells" was originally written for the holiday season
According to legend, James Lord Pierpont was inspired by the town's famous sleigh races while visiting the Simpson Tavern in Medford, Massachusetts in 1850. So he played a short tune on the piano. Needless to say, it was a big hit with both kids and adults, and the lyrics were later slightly changed to be sung around Christmas.
9. The President "pardons" a turkey every year
Even though other presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, showed mercy to turkeys destined for slaughter throughout their time, the Presidential Pardoning of Turkey was formally launched by George H. W. Bush in 1989.
10. Every year, the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys play on Thanksgiving
The decision to play on Thanksgiving began as a marketing ploy to increase game attendance. The Detroit Lions first played on Thanksgiving Day in 1934, and the Dallas Cowboys followed suit in 1966. What is Thanksgiving without a football game to keep you awake?
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