'Twas the Night before Thanksgiving, and all through my blog were astounding Thanksgiving trivia that left me agog:
1. In 1941 Congress declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday, establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the day to celebrate.
2. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October.
3. Canadians sometimes call Thanksgiving in the U.S., "Yanksgiving", to distinguish it from their holiday.
4. Americans feast on 535 million pounds of Turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
5. Fossil evidence shows that Turkeys roamed the Americas 10 million years ago.
6. 91% of Americans eat Turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
7. Seasoned bread crumbs, cornmeal, or rice cooked inside Turkeys are called "stuffing", but cooked outside are called "dressing".
8. 50% of Americans put the stuffing inside the Turkey.
9. Black Friday, the 5th biggest shopping day of the year that occurs after Thanksgiving Day, has continued since the 1930s.
10. Corn, one of the popular symbols of Thanksgiving, dates back 7000 years and originated in Mexico.
11. Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea of proclaiming Thanksgiving a national holiday.
12. Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a Turkey, but Thomas Jefferson opposed him. It is believed that Franklin named the male Turkey "Tom" to spite Jefferson.
13. Only male Turkeys (Toms) gobble. Females make clicking noises. The gobbling sound is a seasonal mating call.
14. More than 40 million green bean casseroles are served on Thanksgiving.
15. In the U.S. about 280 million Turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations.
16. 20% of cranberries eaten are eaten on Thanksgiving.
17. The cranberry name was originally called "crane berry" because its pink blossoms and drooping head reminded the Pilgrims of a crane.
18. The freshest cranberries are ones that bounce after they're dropped.
19. Turkeys were one of the first animals in the Americas to be domesticated.
20. Columbus thought that the land he discovered was connected to India, where peacocks are found in considerable number. He believed Turkeys were a type of peacock and named them “Tuka”, which is "peacock" in the Tamil language of India.
21. The First Thanksgiving that the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians took part lasted for three days.
22. The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920's.
23. Californians are the largest consumers of Turkey in the U.S.
24. Minnesota is the top Turkey producer in the U.S., and North Carolina is second.
25. Domesticated Turkeys cannot fly, however wild Turkeys can fly up to 55 miles per hour over short distances.
26. The heaviest Turkey ever raised weighed in at 86 pounds – about the size of a German Shepherd!
27. A Turkey under 16 weeks of age is called a "fryer". A five to seven month old Turkey is called a "roaster".
28. Wild Turkeys have been known to sleep in trees.
29. Contrary to popular belief, the Pilgrims did not have big buckles on their clothing, shoes, or hats. Buckles did not come into fashion until the late 1600s.
30. The average person consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. (Ugh!)
Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good bite!
