8 Interesting Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Thanksgiving!

Within a few days, families across the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving. Traditionally celebrated on the fourth Thursday every month, this holiday has been a favorite of Americans for almost 400 years. But there’s more to Thanksgiving than cranberries, apples, and pumpkin spice. Read on to find out more!

Thanksgiving was first celebrated in 1621 when Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans came together to share a feast of the harvest during fall. For two hundred years after that similar feasts were enjoyed to celebrate the harvest. Here are a few interesting facts about our favorite holiday!

• Thanksgiving Day became official in 1863, proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln to be celebrated each November.
• The first Thanksgiving meal was very different than the ones we enjoy today. Instead of turkey and mashed potatoes, they ate deer, seafood, and fruits.
• We know that turkey is big with thanksgiving, but in America, thanksgiving is big in three Turkeys! That’s because there are actually three small American towns called “Turkey”, in Texas, North Carolina, and Louisiana.

• Pumpkin pie could just be the aphrodisiac you need! Once study found that the smell of pumpkin spice can actually increase arousal in men. So this year, ditch the oysters, and try a slice of pumpkin pie!
• Each Thanksgiving, dining tables are heavy with turkeys, side dishes, and desserts. And Americans eat more on Thanksgiving than almost any other day – a full 4400 calories. That’s twice the amount of calories you need per day!
• Interestingly enough, Americans are not the ones who eat the most turkey. According a report from 2015, the average citizen in Israel eats more than 120 pounds of turkey each year.

• If you think of yourself as a world-class turkey carver, you might want to step aside for Paul Kelly. He holds the Guinness World Record for carving a turkey in 3 min and 19 seconds! The irony is that Kelly is not even American, but comes from Essex in the UK.
• We all know of Black Friday, but have you heard of Brown Friday? Apparently, the day after Thanksgiving is lucrative for plumbers around the country. With all the alcohol and starch-based foods, you’re probably thinking that the toilets break down. But that’s not the reason why plumbers are so busy. Too much grease and vegetable peels lead to clogged sinks and garbage disposals!

Now you are ready to impress your friends and family this year at the Thanksgiving table with interesting trivia!