Post by SAR01 on Nov 20, 2018 15:10:16 GMT -5
1. The first Thanksgiving was actually a three-day celebration.
Today, Thanksgiving is one day. But the Pilgrims wanted to party even harder. Governor William Bradford organized the feast, inviting the Plymouth colonists' Native American allies, the Wampanoag Indian guests, and the party continues long into the weekend!
2. There is truly no definitive proof that turkey was consumed during the inaugural 1621 feast. However, they did chow down on lobster, seal, and swan.
3. While president, Thomas Jefferson refused to declare Thanksgiving as a holiday.due to his strong beliefs in the separation of church and state. Since Thanksgiving involved prayer, he thought making it a holiday would violate the First Amendment of citizens.
5. The woman behind "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is also responsible for Thanksgiving's recognition as a national holiday. In 1863, writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale convinced President Abraham Lincoln to officially declare Thanksgiving a national holiday that reoccurred every year. She wrote countless articles and letters to persuade the president. Over 100 letters in fact!
6. The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade didn't feature any balloons. In 1924, it featured live animals from the Central Park Zoo!
7. And speaking of those balloons, we have a Good Housekeeping illustrator to thank for the parade's first balloons. Illustrator Tony Starg, who freelanced for Good Housekeeping Magazine, drew the original plans for the parade's first balloons and floats in 1927.
8. In 1939, Thanksgiving was celebrated on the third Thursday in November — not the fourth. FDR bumped it up a week — offering seven more shopping days to the holiday season to stimulate the economy in post-depression America. Then, when Americans didn't love the change, it was officially (and legally) switched back in 1942.
9. In 1953, a Swanson employee accidentally ordered a colossal shipment of Thanksgiving turkeys. To get rid of them all, salesman Gerry Thomas came up with the idea of filling 5,000 aluminum trays with the turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, peas, and sweet potatoes. Each sold for 98 cents. Within one year, over 10 million were sold. And American TV dinners were invented!
10. Only male turkeys actually gobble. Despite being taught in pre-school that a turkey goes "gobble, gobble" —that's not entirely true. Only male turkeys, called gobblers, actually make the sound. Female turkeys cackle instead.
Friends, I hope you enjoy these fun facts this week and enjoy your time spent nourishing your minds, bodies, and souls amongst family and friends.I fervently believe that a life centered on gratitude, and giving thanks, unlocks a life of beauty and fullness. In all areas.
And this is my sincerest wish for you this week.
Happy Thanksgiving, xoxo
Today, Thanksgiving is one day. But the Pilgrims wanted to party even harder. Governor William Bradford organized the feast, inviting the Plymouth colonists' Native American allies, the Wampanoag Indian guests, and the party continues long into the weekend!
2. There is truly no definitive proof that turkey was consumed during the inaugural 1621 feast. However, they did chow down on lobster, seal, and swan.
3. While president, Thomas Jefferson refused to declare Thanksgiving as a holiday.due to his strong beliefs in the separation of church and state. Since Thanksgiving involved prayer, he thought making it a holiday would violate the First Amendment of citizens.
5. The woman behind "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is also responsible for Thanksgiving's recognition as a national holiday. In 1863, writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale convinced President Abraham Lincoln to officially declare Thanksgiving a national holiday that reoccurred every year. She wrote countless articles and letters to persuade the president. Over 100 letters in fact!
6. The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade didn't feature any balloons. In 1924, it featured live animals from the Central Park Zoo!
7. And speaking of those balloons, we have a Good Housekeeping illustrator to thank for the parade's first balloons. Illustrator Tony Starg, who freelanced for Good Housekeeping Magazine, drew the original plans for the parade's first balloons and floats in 1927.
8. In 1939, Thanksgiving was celebrated on the third Thursday in November — not the fourth. FDR bumped it up a week — offering seven more shopping days to the holiday season to stimulate the economy in post-depression America. Then, when Americans didn't love the change, it was officially (and legally) switched back in 1942.
9. In 1953, a Swanson employee accidentally ordered a colossal shipment of Thanksgiving turkeys. To get rid of them all, salesman Gerry Thomas came up with the idea of filling 5,000 aluminum trays with the turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, peas, and sweet potatoes. Each sold for 98 cents. Within one year, over 10 million were sold. And American TV dinners were invented!
10. Only male turkeys actually gobble. Despite being taught in pre-school that a turkey goes "gobble, gobble" —that's not entirely true. Only male turkeys, called gobblers, actually make the sound. Female turkeys cackle instead.
Friends, I hope you enjoy these fun facts this week and enjoy your time spent nourishing your minds, bodies, and souls amongst family and friends.I fervently believe that a life centered on gratitude, and giving thanks, unlocks a life of beauty and fullness. In all areas.
And this is my sincerest wish for you this week.
Happy Thanksgiving, xoxo