Nov 24, 2014

Talking Turkey and Other Thanksgiving Trivia By Tim Hodson

Did you know that Americans have been celebrating Thanksgiving for nearly 400 years?

While some historians still argue when the very first Thanksgiving celebration took place, it has been generally accepted that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 by the Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native Americans.

It officially became a federal holiday in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it as a day of thanks.

Nowadays, Thanksgiving kind of gets lost in the holiday shuffle and the $hopping season gets into full swing. As the 2014 Thanksgiving holiday approaches (and with Black Friday and Cyber Monday right on its heels), it’s fun to look back at the origins of Turkey Day that most of us probably learned in grade school.

U.S. News and World Report has published a 10-question trivia quiz on its website that kind of serves as a refresher course into the origins and significance of Thanksgiving.

So if you are looking for some good conversation starters this Thursday between meals and leftovers or during half time of the football games, you just might want to check it out.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving from all of us at GPN and Lawn & Garden Retailer.

– Tim