12 November 26, 2014 2014 HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com
Thanksgiving fun facts
T
hanksgiving is a long-honored tradition in the United States. Most
people know the story of the first Thanksgiving held at Plymouth
Rock. It was a celebratory feast prepared by the Pilgrims and shared
with their Native
American friends,
the Wampanoag
tribe.
But the holiday has
a long and storied
history. Here are a
few fun facts about
Thanksgiving.
It could have been a turkey
The national bird for the United States is
the bald eagle, but did you know, it could
have been the turkey?
In 1784, Benjamin Franklin maintained
that the national bird should be a wild
turkey. Franklin maintained the turkey was
a “much more respectable bird” than the
bald eagle, and he said the bird was a “true
native of America and a bird with great
courage.”
The Lincoln and Roosevelt
Thanksgiving decrees
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln
decreed the last Thursday in November
each year would be designated as a
National Day of Thanksgiving.
However, in 1939 there were five
Thursdays in November. At the prompting
of the National Retail Dry Goods
Association, President Franklin Roosevelt
decreed that the holiday should always be
celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the
month. The change was made in order to
extend the Christmas shopping season by
one week.
A Thanksgiving goof prompted
the creation of the TV dinner
In November of 1953, C.A. Swanson &
Sons, a wholesaler of turkeys, over-
Continued
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