As the day of thankfulness approaches, feast on these Thanksgiving facts before the holiday weekend arrives!

There was no pumpkin pie at the first Thanksgiving 400 years ago (shocking, I know.) Although there may have been some variation on the classic recipe loved today, there were no ovens in existence or baking ingredients that would have allowed the pilgrims to make this dessert.

Thanksgiving only became a national holiday in 1863, more than 200 years after the first celebration in 1621.

Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be the turkey as he believed it was the “bird of courage.”

There are four locations in the United States with “turkey” in the name; can you guess where? There are two Turkey Creeks, one in Arizona and the other in Louisiana. There are also two Turkeys, one in Texas and another in North Carolina.

“Jingle Bells” was originally a Thanksgiving song! Composed by James Pierpoint, the classic Christmas tune was originally intended for the Thanksgiving holiday and was titled “One Horse Open Sleigh” in 1857. Yet, it was so successful that it was brought back for Christmas and the tradition stuck, prompting the name change two years later.

The only turkeys that gobble are males, who are called toms and are nicknamed accordingly as “gobblers.”

Sources Utilized:
https://www.babyquip.com/blog/thanksgiving-facts
https://tippinspies.com/history-behind-pumpkin-pie/
https://www.ocregister.com/2018/11/12/column-some-fun-with-turkey-day-trivia/
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna56488166