Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thanksgiving


Well, since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I obviously won't be around my computer much, I thought I would write today a little about Thanksgiving.

So here are some Thanksgiving facts taken from History.com:

1.Sarah Josepha Hale, the enormously influential magazine editor and author who waged a tireless campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday in the mid-19th century, was also the author of the classic nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

2.Though many competing claims exist, the most familiar story of the first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth Colony, in present-day Massachusetts, in 1621. More than 200 years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941.

3. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 49 million in 2008. Just six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Indiana—will probably produce two-thirds of the estimated 271 million birds that will be raised in the U.S. this year.

4. In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means some 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the U.S. during Thanksgiving in 2007.

5. Originally known as Macy's Christmas Parade—to signify the launch of the Christmas shopping season—the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in New York City in 1924. It was launched by Macy's employees and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. Today, some 3 million people attend the annual parade and another 44 million watch it on television.

6. Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. As the Flying Ace, Snoopy made his sixth appearance in the 2006 parade. (This one is for my stepdad.)

Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday! Happy Thanksgiving!

3 comments:

  1. How fun! You learn something new every day. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

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  2. Thanks for the history lesson (I love history). I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving and of course I hope The TIDE ROLLS Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  3. I love the Parade!!! Have a great Thanksgiving!

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