The American Thanksgiving feast is one of the world's most iconic holidays, but there is a lot most people don't know about it! Here are 5 things that you may or may not have known about Thanksgiving and its origin in America!
1.) Of the Mayflower's original 102 passengers, only 40 of them were "Pilgrims" as we would recognize them. The rest were called the "Strangers", men and women just looking to hitch a ride to the new world. In fact, the Mayflower wasn't even originally intended to be a human transport vessel; it was supposed to be a wine transport.
2.) Despite Macy’s being the largest, the oldest Thanksgiving parade was held in Philadelphia in 1920 by Gimbels department store. The parade was very small, with only about 50 people.
3.) The Pilgrims didn't actually dress in full-black attire with metal buckles on their hats and shoes. In reality, metal buckles would've been too expensive for the incredibly destitute Pilgrims. It is more likely that they would've used leather laces and straps instead of the buckles.
4.) Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird, feeling that the eagle was a creature predisposed to "bad moral character". He wanted to instead pay homage to the bird that had more historical significance to the young country.
5.) When George Washington advocated for a national Thanksgiving celebration, a number of other founding fathers and statesmen were supportive of the measure. Thomas Jefferson was not one of them. Jefferson referred to the idea as “the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard." Guess he wasn't a fan of cranberry sauce!
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