Its Almost Here!

Everyone knows the general idea of how thanksgiving came to be. We all know about the pilgrims and the Mayflower and about how the Wampanoag Indians helped them survive. And we all know, of course, about how they all shared the first Thanksgiving feast together and how it has been celebrated ever since.


(Photo courtesy of
 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Ask-an-Expert-What-was-on-the-menu-at-the-first-Thanksgiving.html)



Thanksgiving, however, was not given an official date until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it to be held each November (http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving). That's more than 200 years!

Here are some other fun facts about the holiday (http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/videos#bet-you-didnt-know-thanksgiving).

1.) Since 1989 each president has pardoned a turkey for Thanksgiving, allowing it to live through the holiday.

(Photo Courtesy of
http://www.sogoodblog.com/2007/11/21/pardoned-turkeys-were-going-to-disney-world/)

2.) The Pilgrims almost had to have had venison on the first Thanksgiving, but turkey is actually unlikely.

(Photo courtesy of
http://www.nndb.com/people/913/000101610/)

3.) Sara Josepha Hale, who also is likely to have written Mary Had A Little Lamb, campaigned for the holiday until Abraham Lincoln made it an official holiday.

Another fun fact includes this (http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/videos#history-of-the-thanksgiving-holiday).

 4.) The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924.