Giving Thanks

Thanks Giving Dates On The Calendar Thanksgiving History on Wikipedia

Thanksgiving Movies

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!
Garfield's Thanksgiving
A Waltons's Thanksgiving Reunion
Winnie The Pooh's Thanksgiving
Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!


When was the first Thanksgiving celebration held?
The Plymouth Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving celebration in the fall of 1621.

What was the reason for holding a Thanksgiving celebration?
On December 11, 1620 the first Pilgrims (or Puritans, as they were initially known)
landed at Plymouth Rock. By the fall of 1621, of the hundred or so passengers who had
sailed on the Mayflower, only half were still alive. (Of these, only four were adult
women and almost forty percent were children.) The survivors, thankful to be still
alive, decided to give a feast.

What was the name of the Wampanoag chief that was invited to the first Thanksgiving feast?
His name was Massasoit. Some ninety Wampanoag tribesmen were present at the feast.

What was the name of the Pilgrim leader who invited the neighboring Wampanoag to the first Thanksgiving?
It was Governor William Bradford who invited them. The reason they were invited is
because they were the ones who taught the Pilgrims to cultivate the land, thus making
it possible for them to survive.

How long did the first Thanksgiving celebration last?
It lasted three days (the celebration consisted of games as well as food).

Which president proclaimed the first "National Day of Thanksgiving"?
George Washington (in 1789 and then again in 1795).

Even though Thanksgiving was observed most years, it was not an official holiday. What
is the name of the woman credited with making Thanksgiving a national holiday?
Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor. She began her Thanksgiving campaign in 1827.

Which president made Washington's "National Day of Thanksgiving" a national holiday?
On October 3, 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued a "Thanksgiving Proclamation" that made the
last Thursday in November a national holiday. (Before that, the president had to make
an annual proclamation naming the day when Thanksgiving was going to be held.)

Who was the last president to change the date of the Thanksgiving holiday?
President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed Thanksgiving to the Thursday before last (the
reason was to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy).

What happened in 1941?
Congress passed an official proclamation naming Thanksgiving a legal holiday to be
observed, from that date forward, on the fourth Thursday in November.

Who wanted to make the turkey the national bird of the United States of America?
Benjamin Franklin, but he was opposed by Thomas Jefferson. Legend has it that Franklin
then named the male turkey a "tom turkey" to spite Jefferson. (The female is called a
"hen turkey" and the baby a "poult.")

What part of the turkey is used in a good luck ritual?
The wishbone.

What drink did the Puritans bring with them in the Mayflower?
Beer.

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