As you prepare for Thanksgiving next week, I thought you might enjoy some fun facts about Thanksgiving and turkeys.
- Historians believe only five women were among 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians at the Thanksgiving celebration in 1621 that reportedly lasted for three days. Turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce were not on the menu.
- After 17 years of letter writing, Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” convinced President Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving Day a national holiday. He proclaimed it a day for thanksgiving and praise.
- The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parades date back to the 1920s and featured puppets riding elaborate floats, bands, celebrities, animals from the Central Park Zoo, and of course, Santa Claus.
- Benjamin Franklin once suggested that the wild turkey would be a more appropriate symbol for our country than the bald eagle. In a letter penned to his daughter in 1784, Franklin argued that the turkey was a “much more respectable bird” and a “bird of courage.”
- Only male turkeys gobble.
- There are two towns in the United States named Turkey. Turkey, North Carolina is located about 18 miles south of Mt. Olive and 40 miles east of Fayetteville. As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of less than 300. Turkey, Texas, is located about 100 miles southeast of Amarillo and 100 miles northeast of Lubbock. Originally known as Turkey Roost, the town is considered the “Western Swing Capitol of the World.” It is the hometown of Bob Wills, the King of Western Swing. There also is a Turkey Creek, Louisiana and a Turkey Creek, Arizona.
- According to the American Pie Council, pumpkin pie is not the most popular Thanksgiving dessert. More individuals in the United States prefer apple pie.
- The tradition of football on Thanksgiving Day reportedly dates back to 1876, when Yale and Princeton started an annual tradition of playing each other on Thanksgiving Day. The first professional football games on Thanksgiving Day date back to 1920. The first professional Thanksgiving Day football game to be broadcast took place in 1934, with my hometown Chicago Bears going up against the Lions of Detroit. The game was played in the stadium that was located on the campus of my college alma mater, the University of Detroit Mercy.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving 2020, we express our thanks to all of the residents of the senior living, assisted living and memory care communities that Gardant manages for placing your trust in us. We also express our thanks to all of the staff members who are dedicated to providing residents with the Love, Compassion and Dignity they deserve in addition to the help and assistance they need.
Be sure to take time on Thanksgiving Day and throughout the year to count your blessings and give thanks and praise.
We would love to hear your thoughts.