10 Things You Didn’t Know About Thanksgiving
6. Male turkeys are called ‘Toms’ and they gobble. Female turkeys are called ‘Hens’, and they do not gobble; they cackle!
7. Each year, the President of the US spares one turkey from being served or eaten at the Thanksgiving dinner. This tradition of turkey-pardon started in 1947 with President Truman being the first ever president to do so.
8. Sarah Josepha Hale, the one who wrote the classic song “Mary had a little lamb…” is credited for convincing President Lincoln in 1863 for making Thanksgiving a national holiday. To do this, she had written letters for about 17 years till this day officially became a national holiday.
9. Hale is also credited for shaping the modern Thanksgiving menu in a way. She being a magazine editor used to write a lot of recipes and dishes that could be a part of the Thanksgiving meal, and as a result of that, people now include sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce etc. in their meals.
10. Turkey wasn’t part of the first Thanksgiving meal. People ate deer, various types of fowl, fish etc. during that time. Turkey was only introduced later as part of Thanksgiving meals.
Thanksgiving indeed has a long history, and it’s always interesting to know more about it. Hope this Thanksgiving season you learn new things and spread the knowledge with everyone!
