20 Thanksgiving Fun Facts

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture it’s estimated that 7.7 million pounds of cranberries will be produced for 2012
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long
Three towns in the U.S. take their name from the traditional Thanksgiving bird: Turkey, Texas; Turkey Creek, Louisiana; and Turkey, North Carolina
Macy’s employees launched the first Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 1924 and it featured animals from the Central Park Zoo
On Saturday, November 1, 1777 the First National Proclamation of Thanksgiving was given by the Continental Congress
Even with the 1777 Thanksgiving Proclamation, Thanksgiving was not observed annually until President Abraham Lincoln decreed in 1863 that it would be officially observed on the final Thursday in November
In 1939 Franklin D. Roosevlet broke with Lincoln’s tradition because November had five Thursday’s. Roosevelt had Thanksgiving celebrated on the the fourth Thursday. In 1940 and 1941 the country celebrated Thanksgiving on the third Thursday.
On December 26, 1941 President Roosevelt signed into law Congress’ joint-resolution to have Thanksgiving celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November
Turkey was not part of the original Thanksgiving menu
Thanksgiving Eve is one of the busiest nights for bars and clubs and actually surpasses St. Patrick’s Day
Snoopy has been the longest running Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float
Turkey’s have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys dropped dead
Thomas Jefferson thought the idea of Thanksgiving was, “The most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard.”
It is believed that Abraham Lincoln pardoned the first turkey — his son’s pet turkey
Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, campaigned to make Thanksgiving a National Holiday in 1827 and succeeded
Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey
Created by Charles Schulz in 1973 and originally airing on CBS, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving won an Emmy in 1974
The Detroit Lions have hosted a game every Thanksgiving since 1934, except 1939-1944 due to World War II
In 1956, NFL fans got to watch the Thanksgiving day game for the first time on television