Fun Facts About Thanksgiving — 80 Surprising Truths

The first Thanksgiving was not a single meal but a three-day festival with games, dancing, and military demonstrations. True. Edward Winslow's account describes the 1621 event as three days of festivities, not the one-day dinner commonly imagined.

The Pilgrims did not wear buckled hats. True. The iconic buckled hat is a 19th-century artistic invention. Pilgrims wore simple wool caps and wide-brimmed felt hats without buckles.

Turkey was probably not the main dish at the first Thanksgiving. True. Edward Winslow mentions 'wild fowl' (likely duck or goose) and venison. Turkey became the centerpiece much later in American tradition.

Thanksgiving was originally a somber religious observance, not a feast. True. Early colonial thanksgivings involved fasting and prayer. The 1621 Plymouth event was unusual for its celebratory nature.

The Mayflower was not originally intended for the Pilgrims. True. The Mayflower was a merchant vessel used for wine and cargo. It was chartered because the Pilgrims' intended ship, the Speedwell, leaked.

Sarah Josepha Hale campaigned for 17 years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. True. The editor of 'Godey's Lady's Book' wrote letters to five presidents before Lincoln finally proclaimed the holiday in 1863.

The Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving every year since 1934. False. The Lions did not play between 1939 and 1944 due to World War II. The tradition resumed in 1945.

Cranberries are one of only three fruits native to North America. True. Concord grapes and blueberries are the other two. Cranberries were used by Native Americans for food, medicine, and dye.

The average American gains 1-2 pounds over the Thanksgiving holiday. True. Research suggests most adults gain about one pound during the holiday season, though much of it is not lost afterward.

Jingle Bells was originally a Thanksgiving song. True. Written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857, 'One Horse Open Sleigh' was first performed at a Thanksgiving concert in Savannah, Georgia.

The first TV dinner was created because of Thanksgiving. True. In 1953, Swanson over-ordered turkeys and created the first TV dinner to sell 260 tons of surplus turkey.

Thanksgiving is celebrated on different dates across the United States. False. Since 1941, all states observe Thanksgiving on the same day — the fourth Thursday in November.

The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Myth. There is no primary source record of Plymouth Rock. The association began in 1741 when a local claimed his father identified the boulder in 1620.

Thanksgiving was celebrated annually by the Pilgrims after 1621. False. The 1621 feast was a one-time event. Days of thanksgiving were declared sporadically in response to specific events, not annually.

Turkeys were named after the country Turkey because of a shipping route confusion. True. European merchants imported guinea fowl from Turkey and called them 'turkey birds.' When similar American birds arrived, the name stuck.

There are more turkeys than people in some U.S. states. True. Minnesota raises over 40 million turkeys annually — about 7 times its human population.

The first Macy's parade featured live animals from the Central Park Zoo. True. Elephants, bears, camels, and monkeys marched in the inaugural 1924 parade before balloons became the main attraction.

Black Friday has always been the busiest shopping day. False. For decades, the Saturday before Christmas was busier. Black Friday only became the top shopping day in the early 2000s.

Stuffing was not invented for Thanksgiving. True. Stuffing or 'forcemeat' dates back to ancient Roman cuisine. The Thanksgiving connection developed in 19th-century America.

The Pilgrims brought beer on the Mayflower. True. Beer was considered safer than water. The Mayflower's cargo included ale, wine, and spirits for the voyage and settlement.

Pumpkins are technically fruits, not vegetables. True. Botanically, pumpkins are fruits because they contain seeds and develop from the flower's ovary.

The Wampanoag people did not wear feathered headdresses at the first Thanksgiving. True. Plains-style feathered war bonnets were not worn by Wampanoag people. This is another romanticized image from later art.

Thanksgiving was briefly moved to the third Thursday in November. True. FDR's 1939 proclamation created 'Franksgiving,' which was widely mocked and rejected by many states.

Cornucopias predate American Thanksgiving by thousands of years. True. The 'horn of plenty' comes from Greek mythology and was later adopted as a Thanksgiving symbol in America.

The average turkey has 70% white meat and 30% dark meat. True. This proportion is why white meat is more abundant, though dark meat is often preferred by chefs for its flavor.

Turkeys can blush. True. When excited or stressed, a turkey's head and neck can change color from red to blue to white due to blood flow and skin pigments.

Thanksgiving was celebrated in space. True. Astronauts on Skylab and the ISS have celebrated Thanksgiving with special pouched meals, including turkey and cornbread dressing.

The wishbone tradition comes from the ancient Etruscans. True. The Etruscans believed chicken bones held prophetic powers. The Romans adopted it, and English settlers brought it to America.

There are over 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the U.S. True. Apple pie may be American iconography, but only about 100 varieties are grown commercially. The rest are heirloom or wild.

Native Americans cultivated over 60% of the world's food crops. True. Indigenous peoples of the Americas developed corn, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, and many other staple foods.

Turkey eggs are edible but rarely eaten. True. Turkey eggs taste similar to chicken eggs but are larger. Commercial turkey hens are bred for meat, not egg production.

The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line answers over 100,000 calls each November. True. Since 1981, Butterball's hotline has helped home cooks with turkey emergencies, from thawing disasters to deep-fryer fires.

Thanksgiving leftovers inspired the invention of Tupperware. Partially true. While Tupperware wasn't invented for Thanksgiving, holiday leftovers helped popularize food storage containers in the 1950s.

The largest gathering for Thanksgiving dinner was over 15,000 people. True. The record was set in New York City by the Mosaic Cultural Church, serving over 15,000 meals at a single event.

Sweet potatoes and yams are the same thing. False. They are different plants. True yams are starchy tubers from Africa and Asia. Americans call orange sweet potatoes 'yams' due to a marketing campaign.

The Pilgrims ate with forks at the first Thanksgiving. False. Forks were rare in 1621 England and unknown in Plymouth Colony. They ate with spoons, knives, and their hands.

Vegans can enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving. True. Plant-based roasts, nut-based gravies, and vegetable sides allow vegans to enjoy a full Thanksgiving meal without animal products.

The average person eats 4,500 calories at Thanksgiving dinner. Plausible but debated. The 4,500 calorie figure includes appetizers, alcohol, and desserts throughout the day, not just the main meal.

Turkeys can recognize each other by their voices. True. Turkeys have over 20 distinct vocalizations and can identify individuals by their unique calls.

Thanksgiving was once celebrated in July. True. In 1863, Lincoln considered July 4 before settling on November. Some Southern states held Thanksgiving in summer before the Civil War.

The term 'cold turkey' comes from Thanksgiving leftovers. False. 'Cold turkey' refers to the goosebumps addicts get during withdrawal, which resemble cold turkey skin. The origin is unrelated to the holiday.

Macy's parade balloons were originally released into the sky. True. From 1929 to 1932, Macy's released the giant balloons and offered rewards for their return — a practice stopped after aviation safety concerns.

Pilgrims called themselves Pilgrims. False. They called themselves 'Saints' or 'Separatists.' William Bradford first used 'pilgrimes' in his writings, but the term didn't become common until the 1800s.

Thanksgiving is older than Halloween in America. True. Thanksgiving traditions date to the 1600s, while Halloween was not widely celebrated until Irish immigration in the late 1800s.

The song 'Alice's Restaurant' is about Thanksgiving. True. Arlo Guthrie's 1967 anti-war song begins with a Thanksgiving littering incident that leads to a draft board satire.

Turkeys sleep in trees. True. Wild turkeys roost in trees at night to stay safe from predators. Domestic turkeys retain this instinct if given access to trees.

The heaviest turkey ever raised weighed 86 pounds. True. The record was set in 1989. Most commercial turkeys weigh 15-30 pounds at processing.

Thanksgiving is not celebrated in space because astronauts are too busy. False. NASA goes to great lengths to provide festive meals, including irradiated turkey and freeze-dried cranberry sauce.

The first Thanksgiving Day football game was in 1876. True. Yale and Princeton played on Thanksgiving in 1876, starting a tradition that evolved into the modern NFL Thanksgiving games.

Pecans are the only native American tree nut. True. Pecans are native to North America and were used by Indigenous peoples long before European colonization.

Cranberry sauce was first sold canned in 1912. True. Marcus Urann, a lawyer-turned-cranberry-farmer, pioneered canned cranberry sauce, revolutionizing how Americans serve the condiment.

The Pilgrims' first corn crop failed. False. With Wampanoag help, the Pilgrims' 1621 corn harvest was successful. The feast celebrated this victory over starvation.

Thanksgiving is celebrated in Liberia. True. Liberia, founded by freed American slaves, celebrates Thanksgiving on the first Thursday of November with similar foods and traditions.

Frozen turkeys can be thawed in a microwave. Theoretically, but practically impossible. A typical turkey would take hours in even a large microwave and likely cook unevenly.

The average American spends 7 hours preparing Thanksgiving dinner. True. Surveys suggest the average cook spends 7+ hours on preparation, cooking, and cleanup for the holiday meal.

Turkeys have better color vision than humans. True. Turkeys can see ultraviolet light, giving them a broader spectrum of color perception than humans possess.

The Pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving with the Puritans. False. Pilgrims and Puritans were different groups. The Pilgrims at Plymouth were Separatists; the Puritans founded Massachusetts Bay Colony later.

More than 40 million green bean casseroles are served on Thanksgiving. True. Campbell's estimates that approximately 40% of American households serve the dish, totaling over 20 million servings.

Thanksgiving was originally a harvest festival in ancient cultures. True. Harvest festivals date back thousands of years in Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Chinese cultures, long before American Thanksgiving.

The Wampanoag language is still spoken today. True, though endangered. The Wampanoag Nation's Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project has revived the language after centuries of dormancy.

Turkey contains an amino acid that makes you sleepy. Partially true. Turkey contains tryptophan, but not enough to cause drowsiness alone. The post-dinner sleepiness is mainly from overeating carbohydrates.

The first Thanksgiving Day parade was in Philadelphia, not New York. True. Philadelphia's Gimbels parade started in 1920, four years before Macy's first parade in 1924.

Potatoes originated in Ireland. False. Potatoes are native to the Andes region of South America. They were brought to Europe by Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s.

Thanksgiving celebrations existed in ancient Rome. True. The Roman festival of Cerelia honored Ceres, goddess of agriculture, with feasts, games, and parades.

Domestic turkeys cannot fly. True. Selective breeding has made domestic turkeys too heavy for flight, though they can flutter short distances.

The first TV dinner was turkey. True. Swanson's 1953 surplus inspired the original TV dinner: turkey with cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes, and peas.

Thanksgiving is the most popular holiday for volunteering. True. Thanksgiving and Christmas see the highest volunteer rates, with soup kitchens and food banks receiving the most help.

The Pilgrims' original destination was Virginia. True. The Mayflower's patent was for land near the mouth of the Hudson River (then Virginia Colony). Storms pushed them to Cape Cod instead.

Corn is the only grain that cannot grow wild. True. Maize requires human cultivation to survive. Its ancestor, teosinte, looks so different that scientists debated the connection for decades.

Black Friday shopping causes more injuries than Thanksgiving football. Surprisingly, true in some years. Black Friday trampling incidents and fights have caused serious injuries, though football causes more total injuries.

Thanksgiving has been celebrated continuously since 1621. False. There was no national Thanksgiving between the 1700s and Lincoln's 1863 proclamation. Even then, it wasn't annually observed everywhere.

A turkey's gender can be determined by its droppings. True. Male turkey droppings are J-shaped, while female droppings are spiral or loop-shaped — a fact used by hunters and biologists.

The Mayflower Compact was signed before landing. True. Drafted on November 11, 1620, it was signed by 41 men aboard the Mayflower, establishing self-governance for the colony.