15 unusual facts about Thanksgiving

If you’re not a Thanksgiving boffin, you soon will be. Below, we list some unusual facts about the holiday you probably had no idea were true.

1. Nobody ate turkey at the first Thanksgiving

People celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621, but there is no mention in the historical record of them eating turkey.

2. Thanksgiving once looked like Halloween

Thanksgiving was a creepy event at the turn of the 20th century. Children would often dress up in scary clothes and paint their faces to celebrate the occasion, giving the holiday the nickname “Ragamuffin Day.”

3. Sarah Joespha Hale of Mary Had A Little Lamb fame is responsible for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Continental Congress originally declared Thanksgiving in 1777, but it fell out of use in 1815. Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote Mary Had A Little Lamb, petitioned the Abe Lincoln government to bring it back, and they did in 1863.

4. Macy used to let its balloons fly off into the sky

Air traffic over New York wasn’t as dense in the past. Macy’s only banned the release of balloons in 1932, most of which burst anyway because of the lower air pressure at altitude.

5. Turkey doesn’t make people tired

According to researchers, it’s not the turkey that makes you fall asleep on Thanksgiving Day afternoon – it’s all the cake, alcohol, and soda. That’s despite the meat containing a high concentration of tryptophan, an amino acid associated with sleepiness.

6. Harry Truman started pardoning turkeys in 1947

Turkey-lover Harry Truman spared a lucky bird in 1947 before that year’s Thanksgiving with an official pardon. Decades later, George Bush Senior made the practice official, and American presidents continued the annual tradition ever since.

7. Canned cranberry sauce only arrived in 1941

The Ocean Spray company introduced cranberry sauce just as the U.S. was entering WWII.

8. The U.S. hosts numerous turkey-eating contests around Thanksgiving

Individuals compete to eat as much turkey as possible in a limited time, often for charity.

9. President Roosevelt changed Thanksgiving’s date to encourage more holiday shopping

The Depression-era president wanted to boost the economy and get it out of the slump. Higher seasonal spending might create jobs, he reasoned.

10. Jingle Bells was originally a Thanksgiving Song

The song we now consider a Christmas classic was written by James Lord Pierpont after being inspired by Massachusetts's famous sleigh races. Only later did people adapt his jingle to Christmas.

11. The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving

The teams introduced the derby in an attempt to draw larger crowds to their fixtures.

12. Thanksgiving kickstarted the microwaveable dinner revolution

The Swanson food company over-ordered turkeys for its Thanksgiving sales. But instead of letting them go to waste, it inserted them into ready meals.

13. President Calvin Coolidge pardoned a raccoon on Thanksgiving in 1926

Apparently, he and First Lady Grace Coolidge were animal lovers.

14. Plumbers’ busiest day of the year is the first day after Thanksgiving

It must be all that fat and grease from the turkey blocking the pipes. They need to add online chat to website cope with demand.

15. The U.S. has three towns named turkey

You can find the meat-themed settlements in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Texas. There’s also Cranberry in Pennsylvania and Yum Yum in Tennessee.