Thanksgiving Day - USA

Here is some trivia/facts about Thanksgiving Day.

• The fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
• This holiday is a harvest feast/festival.
  
• Thanksgiving Day was first was declared an official holiday by Abraham Lincoln on October 3 1863.
• Thanksgiving was originally a religious observance for all the members of the community to give thanks to God for a common purpose.
• The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys were consumed in the United States on Thanksgiving Day in 2007.
• Every year Macy's holds a Thanksgiving Day Parade, the first one took place in New York City in 1924.
• The first recorded Thanksgiving ceremony took place on September 8, 1565, when 600 Spanish settlers landed at what is now St. Augustine, Florida, and held a Mass of Thanksgiving for their safe delivery to the New World, followed by a feast and celebration.
• The more commonly thought of one, held in 1621 by the pilgrims off the Mayflower, occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11 and was three days long.
• What is generally thought off as pilgrim clothing is not what the pilgrims actually wore. For example: Buckles did not come into fashion until late in the seventeenth century and black and white were only commonly worn on Sunday and formal occasions.
• Watching football on Thanksgiving has become a common custom for many people. The National Football League and the (no longer in existence) American Football League have played games on Thanksgiving every year since their creation. - I do not watch football.
• Watching television specials like a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is also a custom many people follow. - including me.
  
• Thanksgivings Day is also held by the Native Americans as National Day of Mourning. They annually hold protests and view it as a day of remembrance for the Democide (term used to include forms of government murder that are not covered by the legal definition of genocide) of the Native Americans.
• Turkeys are the most commonly eaten food on Thanksgiving Day.
  
• The first presidential pardon of a turkey was by George H.W. Bush in 1989. Since then every Thanksgiving a turkey is pardoned by the current president.
• Wild Turkeys are not very easy to catch since they have excellent visual acuity, a wide field of vision, very good hearing, can reach speeds of 25 miles per hour on the ground, perch in trees on occasion, and can fly for short distances at speeds up to 55 miles per hour.
• Turkey's are omnivores.
• Turkey's on factory farms have truly appalling existences. Videos can be found on animal welfare sites like Peta but I wouldn't recommend watching them unless you like seeing birds in misery and being mistreated. Peta has a petition to be sent to turkey breeders asking that they take steps to prevent cruelty to the birds. The petition and video can be found here: Breaking Investigation Reveals Holiday Horrors for Turkeys

Here is a site for further information about Thanksgiving myths: Deconstructing the Myths of “The First Thanksgiving”