49 Fun Thanksgiving Facts That Will Surprise You

Published September 19, 2016Updated November 15, 2025

Think you know everything about Thanksgiving? Think again. From what was included in the first feast to crazy modern statistics, Thanksgiving is full of surprising stories, quirky traditions, and fascinating facts you never learned in school. Get ready to impress your friends and family with Thanksgiving knowledge that is as rich as a slice of pumpkin pie.

Crazy Turkey Trivia
_[3]
The flap of skin hanging off of a turkey's chin is called a "wattle." The wrinkly thing hanging over the turkey's beak is called a "snood."_[16]
Both female and male turkeys have snoods, the red droopy thing on top of their beaks. Male's are just larger and more dramatic._[8]
A male turkey's feces is J-shaped and larger than a female's. Hen droppings are more like a spiral._[8]
Turkeys have two stomachs. One stomach is for digesting, one is for grinding._[8]
Only male turkeys gobble, which is probably why they are called "gobblers." Female turkeys make softer clucks, purrs, and yelps._[8]
Trivia To Impress Your Family
_[3]
Native Americans used cranberries as medicine. They used cranberries to treat wounds, make dye, and in early dishes._[5]
The song "Jingle Bells" was originally written as a Thanksgiving song. It was also one of the first songs to be recorded on a phonograph in the late 1800s._[14]
In 1953, Swanson overestimated the number of frozen turkeys that it would sell on Thanksgiving by 260 tons. The company decided to slice up the extra meat and repackage it--creating the first ever TV dinner._[1]
Thanksgiving isn't on the same date every year. Thanksgiving can occur as early as November 22 and as late as November 28._[5]
"Black Friday" refers to profits, not to chaos. Retailers hoped post-Thanksgiving shopping would put them in "the black."_[6]
Black Friday is the busiest day for Roto-Rooter, a major plumbing service. They are called in to clean up “overwhelmed” sewer systems._[1]
History and Traditions
_[3]
The "first" Thanksgiving wasn't the only one. While Plymouth in 1621 is the traditional story, at least 12 places in the U.S. claim to have hosted the first Thanksgiving, including sites in Texas, Florida, Maine, and Virginia._[3]
The earliest known Thanksgiving in America was in 1541. This is when Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his expedition held a thanksgiving mass in Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas panhandle (though scholars debate whether this ceremony matches later "Thanksgiving meanings")._[5]
The Pilgrims built their settlement on a former Wampanoag village. When they landed in 1620, the site had recently been devastated by a plague brought by earlier European contact._[3]
Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. Before that, presidents like Washington and Adams declared occasional days of Thanksgiving, but not annual ones._[3]
The U.S. once had two Thanksgivings in the same year. In 1939, FDR moved Thanksgiving to lengthen the shopping season, causing "Republican Thanksgiving" and "Franksgiving" to be celebrated on different dates._[5]
"Unthanksgiving Day" has been held every year on the island of Alcatraz since 1975. “Unthanksgiving Day” or "Sunrise Gathering" commemorates the survival of Native Americans following the arrival and settlement of Europeans in the Americas._[2]
Pilgrims did not wear buckled hats or dress only in black and white. Buckles did not come into fashion until later in the 17th century, and the pilgrims usually saved their formal black and white colors for Sunday._[13]
Over 50 million Americans travel for Thanksgiving. It's consistently ranked as the second most popular American holiday, behind Christmas._[12]
The average long-distance Thanksgiving trip is 214 miles But this is not as far as the 275 miles people travel over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday._[4]
A National Day of Mourning is observed in Plymouth. Since 1970, Native Americans and supporters gather on Cole's Hill to honor Indigenous history and survival._[5]
Thanksgiving blends many traditions. It combines European harvest festivals, Puritan customs, New England traditions, and Native American influences._[5]
The 1621 Thanksgiving feast likely happened between September 21 and November 1. It lasted three days and included 50 surviving pilgrims and approximately 90 Wampanoag Indians, including Chief Massasoit. Their menu differed from modern Thanksgiving dinners and included berries, shellfish, boiled pumpkin, and deer._[5]
Squanto was vital to the Pilgrim's survival. He spoke English and crossed the Atlantic several times, often as a captive. His farming knowledge is what saved the colony._[7]
Sarah Josepha Hale is considered to be the "Mother of Thanksgiving. For seventeen years, she campaigned for a national holiday. She also wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb."_[3]
America's oldest Thanksgiving parade began in 1920. Philadelphia's Gimbels Parade (now the IKEA Parade) predates Macy's._[5]
Forefather's Day marks the Pilgrim's landing, and not the feast. Celebrated on December 21, it began in 1769 and is mainly observed in New England._[5]
Pop Culture & Modern Traditions
_[3]

Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year

The Sunday after Thanksgiving Day is the busiest travel day. Even more so than the day before Thanksgiving._[20]
Macy's Thanksgiving Parade began in 1924. Early versions feature animals from the Central Park Zoo. Snoopy is the parade's longest-running character._[19]
The first college Thanksgiving football game was in 1876. On November 30, 1876, Yale defeated Princeton 2-0 in Hoboken, New Jersey._[5]
Food & Feasting
_[3]
Stove Top stuffing sells around 60 million boxes of stuffing around Thanksgiving every year. Stuffing is actually an ancient food. Recipes appear in 1st-century cookbooks._[17]

About 535 million lbs of turkey are eaten Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.

Americans eat roughly 535 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, that's over 46 million turkeys._[10]
On average, it takes about 7 hours to cook a Thanksgiving dinner. According to the USDA, people spend about 91 minutes eating and drinking on Thanksgiving Day, which is longer than most days of the year._[15]
The night before Thanksgiving is the biggest drinking night of the year, even bigger than St. Patrick's Day or New Year's Eve. It's called "Blackout Wednesday" or "Drinksiving."_[9]
The Butterball Turkey hotline answers over 100,000 questions calls yearly It's busiest in the days leading up to holiday._[12]
A ripe cranberry will bounce. The air pockets in the cranberry that it allow to bounce are also a sign of firmness._[3]
Approximately 50 million people watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on television. An additional 3.5 million attend in person._[12]
Stuffing vs dressing depends on location People who cook the bread side-dish separately from the turkey or live in the South tend to call it dressing. People who cook it in the turkey or live elsewhere, tend to call it stuffing._[18]
Presidential & Political Facts
_[3]
Thomas Jefferson hated the idea of Thanksgiving. President Jefferson called a federal Thanksgiving proclamation “the most ridiculous idea ever conceived.”_[5]
In 2001, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Thanksgiving stamp. The stamp honored the tradition “of being thankful for the abundance of goods we enjoy in America.”_[3]
In 2007, George W. Bush granted a pardon to two turkeys named May and Flower. The tradition of pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys began in 1947, though Abraham Lincoln is said to have informally started the practice when he pardoned his son’s pet turkey._[11]
Thanksgiving is often considered the site of the first cultural war. Thanksgiving contains both a narrative of the birth of freedom and democracy as well as an account of racism, mistreatment of Native Americans, and conflict._[7]
Not all states were eager to adopt Thanksgiving. Some states thought the national government was exercising too much power in declaring a national holiday. Additionally, southern states were hesitant to observe what was largely a New England practice._[5]