Thanksgiving Myths and Facts

Thanksgiving: The Truth Behind the Myths

• The demand for turkeys is growing, as Americans are consuming twice as much turkey as a generation ago.
• The busiest week of the year for turkey farms is Thanksgiving week.
• 91% of Americans eat turkey every Thanksgiving.
• The misconception about turkey making people sleepy is linked to the amino acid tryptophan, but research shows that turkey has less tryptophan than chicken breast and cheese.
• The true reason people feel sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner is due to the high amount of carbohydrates consumed, along with potential alcohol intake and exhaustion from preparing the meal.
• The history of turkey as the main Thanksgiving dish is connected to English customs that valued fowl as a luxurious and important meal.
• Benjamin Franklin advocated for the turkey to be the national bird instead of the bald eagle, highlighting his humorous and quirky personality, and a celebration of American ingenuity and independence.
• Americans consume an average of 3,600 calories per day, but this amount can increase to 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving.
• Pumpkin pie is a staple of Thanksgiving, with an estimated 1 billion pounds of pumpkins grown annually in the United States.
• Libby's canned pumpkin, a leading supplier, provides the pumpkin for over 50 million pies every Thanksgiving.
• The Friday after Thanksgiving sees twice as many calls to plumbers compared to any other day of the year, likely due to food being disposed of improperly in garbage disposals.
• The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is not the busiest air travel day of the year, as it doesn't even rank in the top 25 busiest days.
• The busiest air travel day of the year often falls on a Friday during June, July, and August.
• Travel patterns changed significantly with the development of railroads in the 19th century, allowing Americans to travel further and experience a broader range of locations.
• The commonly taught story of the first Thanksgiving in grade school is a myth, with elements of truth but misrepresentations of the event.
• While the Pilgrims and Native Americans did interact, the Native Americans were not initially invited to the gathering, turkey was not explicitly mentioned in records, and the event was not referred to as "Thanksgiving" at the time.
• The only surviving eyewitness account of the 1621 feast was a letter written by one of the Pilgrims, Edward Winslow.
• The Pilgrims were a separatist sect of the Puritans known for their strict beliefs and communal way of life.
• Native Americans, particularly the Wampanoag, played a significant role in the survival of the Pilgrims, teaching them essential farming and hunting techniques in the new environment.
• Despite the positive contributions of the Wampanoag, the Pilgrims did not fully recognize their sovereignty or equality.
• The 1621 feast was a celebratory event following a successful harvest, but the details are not as idyllic as the myth suggests.
• The pilgrims' accounts do not mention cranberries, pumpkins, or turkey being served at the feast.
• The Native Americans were not guests as much as co-hosts at the feast, as they contributed five deer to the meal after a surprise visit.
• The Pilgrims had learned from the Wampanoag about the cultivation of pumpkins, called "squash" by them, and may have incorporated it into their festive meal.
• The concept of Thanksgiving existed centuries before the arrival of the Pilgrims, with European Christians practicing fasting as a religious tradition.
• The Thanksgiving feast evolved over time, incorporating harvest celebrations and eventually becoming associated with the fall season.
• Sarah Josepha Hale, a prominent women's magazine editor, spearheaded a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday celebrated on the same day across the country.
• Hale was motivated by the desire to bring the nation together during a period of increasing sectionalism leading to the Civil War.
• The choice of the last Thursday in November for Thanksgiving is attributed to the traditional day for ministerial sermons and gathering for a harvest celebration.
• President George Washington first declared a national day of Thanksgiving in 1789, setting the precedent for future presidential proclamations.
• Thanksgiving remained an informal tradition, with varying dates and regional celebrations, until Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863 establishing it as a national and annual Day of Gratitude.
• Lincoln's proclamation did not legally solidify Thanksgiving as a federal holiday, but it established the tradition of a nationally celebrated Thanksgiving.
• It took until 1941 for Thanksgiving to officially become a legal federal holiday, meaning it would automatically occur every year like other national holidays.

Thanksgiving History

• 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November to increase Christmas shopping
• The change caused confusion and controversy across the country
• 1941, Congress officially declared the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

• The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade started in 1924
• Macy's was inspired by Gimbels, who held the first Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia in 1920
• The parade features giant helium balloons
• The original balloons were released at the end of the parade, but this practice was discontinued in 1932 after a near-fatal incident with an airplane
• During WW2, the balloons were donated to the war effort to be used as rubber for tires and life rafts
• Today, Macy's is the second largest consumer of helium in the world, after the US government

Football on Thanksgiving

• The first Thanksgiving Day football game was played between Princeton and Yale in 1876
• By the 1890s, the Ivy League's Thanksgiving Day game was a major event in the US
• In 1934, the first NFL Thanksgiving Day game was played between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears
• The Lions have played on Thanksgiving Day every year since 1934, except for World War II
• The Dallas Cowboys started playing on Thanksgiving in 1966, and a third NFL game was added in 2006

Plymouth Plantation

• Plymouth Plantation is a living museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts that recreates the pilgrim settlement
• It opened in 1947 and has become a popular tourist destination
• Visitors can interact with interpreters dressed in period costumes who portray pilgrims and share information about their lives
• The museum also sheds light on the history of the Wampanoag people, who aided the pilgrims

Meaning of Thanksgiving

• Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday for food and football, it symbolizes the values of family, home, and gratitude
• The holiday embodies the hope and opportunity for new beginnings that the US represents

Test your knowledge about Thanksgiving traditions and the truths behind common myths surrounding turkey consumption. Learn about the real reasons why people may feel sleepy after their meals and discover the history of turkey as a staple dish in American culture. Can you distinguish fact from fiction this holiday season?