Thanksgiving Fun Facts

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Go down our list of fun facts about Thanksgiving and you'll know more about Thanksgiving and Turkeys than you've ever known before....or maybe ever wanted to know. :)

Fun Facts About Thanksgiving,Turkeys and the Traditions Surrounding Them

• Wild Turkeys have great hearing and vision. This is why they are so hard to hunt.
• Turkeys are also fast movers. You'd never know this to look at them but they can reach speeds of up to 20mph when running. In flight they can reach 55mph or more. However, domesticated turkeys can not fly. Bummer for them.
• Although turkeys can survive and thrive in many different environments most are located in hardwood forests with grassy areas. Good hiding places make this another reason why they are hard to hunt.
• Turkeys are most likey in plain sight on a warm day or during a light rain.
• Turkeys get stressed out just like the rest of us. When subjected to the loud noise of Air Force test flights near a base fields of turkeys have dropped dead of heart attacks.
• Contrary to turkey tall tales, turkey do not look up and drown when it rains.
• The Puritans drank beer and actually brought it over on the Mayflower.
• The Pilgrims arrived in North America in 1620. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 in Plimoth Mass.
• The very first Thanksgiving celebration lasted 3 days. The Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag to celebrate the years harvest with them.
• You can experience an authentic Thanksgiving Feast at the Plimoth Plantation and Wampanoag Homesite, even today.
• President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving to be a national holiday on October 3, 1863.
• In the United StatesThanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.
• In 1941 Congress proclaimed Thanksgiving to be a legal holiday. This is why most people can take off work on Thanksgiving Day.
• Making a wish using the turkey's "wishbone" is a Thanksgiving ritual. Since this entails two people pulling the bone apart with the recipient of the joint part of the bone winning the "wish", this is easier if you let the bone dry out a few hours.
• Californians hold the record for eating the most turkey in the US. It's not just for Thanksgiving anymore.
• The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade happened in 1924 in New York City. It featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. Over 3 million people attend the parade standing along the streets in NYC. Over 44 million watch it on television.

The parade is a great way to spend Thanksgiving morning and usher in the Holiday Season. Follow this link for more ---> frugal Christmas ideas.