Fun Facts

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe and lasted three days!

1. Turkey wasn’t the main dish—the original feast likely included deer (venison), seafood, corn, and nuts.

2. Football and Thanksgiving have been linked since 1876, and the first NFL Thanksgiving Day game was in 1920.
   
   

3. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924—and featured live animals from the Central Park Zoo before balloons took over.
   
   

4. Pumpkin pie wasn’t served at the first feast—early settlers didn’t have ovens to bake pies!
   
   

5. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the U.S., not the bald eagle.
   
   

6. Americans eat about 46 million turkeys each Thanksgiving.
   
   

7. Turkey doesn’t really make you sleepy—that drowsy feeling comes from overeating and the relaxing vibe.
   
   

8. Presidents have been pardoning turkeys since the 1960s, starting officially with President John F. Kennedy, and formally by George H.W. Bush in 1989.
   
   

9. Canada also celebrates Thanksgiving—but theirs is in October!