Thought I would share some of the crazy Thanksgiving facts I found on the internet. I realize this is an American/Canadian holiday, but the facts may still put a smile on your face. Below are the 10 crazy-fun facts about Thanksgiving.
- Every Thanksgiving, the current U.S. president pardons a turkey. During the ceremony, the current President of the United States is presented with a live turkey. The President does not eat the turkey; instead, he “pardons” the bird and spares it from being slaughtered. After being pardoned, the turkey gets to live out its days on a farm.
- 10 Hrs. 2 Mins.: Length of time the average American male would need to spend on the treadmill to burn the 4,500 calories consumed at the average Thanksgiving meal.
- The First Thanksgiving was only eaten with Spoons and Knives. The reason for the fork being absent was because it was not brought by the pilgrims in 1620.
- Cranberries were served at the first Thanksgiving. However, turkey was not! The best way to check if a Cranberry is ripe is to bounce it. As long as it bounces higher than four inches it is ready to be picked.
- Americans eat the weight of Singapore in Turkey every Thanksgiving.
- Benjamin Franklin wanted the Turkey to be the national bird of the United States.
- In 2019, 55.3 million people in the US traveled on Thanksgiving Day.
- Thanksgiving in the US is also known as American Thanksgiving to differentiate it from the Canadian Thanksgiving, which became a national holiday in 1879.
- On average, Americans purchase about 250 million pounds of potatoes as well as 77 million pounds of ham during Thanksgiving week.
- Turkey-eating competitions go on in certain areas of the US. It involves trying to eat a 20-pound turkey in a limited amount of time. Joey Chestnut currently holds the title, managing to gobble down 9lbs (4kg) in just 10 minutes!
Photo by Lovefood Art from Pexels
