THANKSGIVING HISTORY THEY DIDN’T TEACH IN SCHOOL
This U.S. president made Thanksgiving an official holiday, presumably after realizing Americans needed a designated day to overeat.
Who is Abraham Lincoln?
This sitcom is known for the line “More stuffing?” — which in context was far more disturbing than hospitable.
What is Friends?
This dish was originally invented in 1955 by an employee of Campbell’s who was trying to promote canned soup.
What is green bean casserole?
This U.S. city is credited with coining the term “Black Friday” in the 1960s — not for shopping, but because police used it to describe the chaos caused by holiday crowds.
What is Philadelphia?
The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is nicknamed this, due to its reputation for being the biggest bar night of the year.
What is “Drinksgiving”?
This woman, also known for writing “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” spent 17 years lobbying for Thanksgiving to become a national holiday.
Who is Sarah Josepha Hale?
The “Turkey Drop” episode from this 1970s sitcom is famous for the line, “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”
What is WKRP in Cincinnati?
This canned Thanksgiving staple was created in 1912 — and its recipe has changed so little it might as well be fossilized.
What is cranberry sauce?
Every year the President pardons a turkey — but the first official turkey pardon happened unofficially under this president known for storytelling charm.
Who is Ronald Reagan? (While officially credited to Bush Sr., Reagan did it first informally.)
A major reason Thanksgiving traffic is so brutal: 70% of travelers admit they’re only on the road for this.
What is free food?
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924 didn’t feature balloons — instead, it featured these live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo.
What are lions, tigers, and elephants?
In A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, this character serves toast, popcorn, and jelly beans — proving he should never be allowed near a kitchen.
Who is Snoopy?
he largest pumpkin pie ever made weighed more than 3,600 pounds — about as heavy as this mode of transportation.
What is a small car?
This U.S. state consumes the most turkey annually, proving that its residents take Thanksgiving very, very seriously.
What is California?
“Jingle Bells” was originally written for which holiday… and it wasn’t Christmas.
What is Thanksgiving?
This U.S. president received a live raccoon intended for Thanksgiving dinner — and ended up keeping her as a pet instead.
Who is Calvin Coolidge?
In How I Met Your Mother, this recurring joke compares Thanksgiving to a variation of torture involving overeating.
What is “Slapsgiving”?
Butterball’s Turkey Talk-Line debuted in 1981 with only six home economists. Its most common question is about this step, proving America is still deeply confused about basic poultry math.
What is how to thaw a turkey?
The “Turducken” was popularized by this New Orleans NFL commentator, who introduced it to America like it was the eighth wonder of the world.
Who is John Madden?
The first frozen TV dinner was created in 1953 because a company accidentally over-ordered this Thanksgiving staple by 260 tons.
What is turkey?
This iconic “side dish” didn’t appear on Thanksgiving tables until the 17th century was long over, because it didn’t exist in North America yet.
What are potatoes?
he Macy’s Parade once lost control of a massive balloon based on this famous cartoon character, smashing windows along Broadway in 1997.
Who is Cat in the Hat?
Despite popular belief, turkey contains less tryptophan than these two common foods.
What are chicken and cheese?
Americans eat so much turkey on Thanksgiving that it could fill more than 4,500 of these professional sports venues.
What are NFL football fields?
These two NFL teams have played Thanksgiving football every year since the 1930s and 1960s respectively.
Who are the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys?