- According to the Calorie Control Council, the average American consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving—around 3,000 calories for the meal and another 1,500 for snacking. These calories consist of an astounding 224 grams of fat, which is almost 3½ times the average fat intake on a regular day.
- The estimated number of turkeys eaten each Thanksgiving in the United States is 46 million.
- The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in 1924 in New York City, and consisted of 400 employees marching through the streets with live animals from Central Park Zoo. There were no balloons or floats.
- Today, each float in the parade costs anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 to build, not including the cost associated with getting it to the parade. The parade attracts around 3 million spectators each year, and another 44 million people view it on television.
- There were no forks at the first Thanksgiving, only spoons and knives. Forks were not introduced to the settlers until 10 years later, and didn’t become popular until the mid 18th century.
- In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to change Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November in order to boost store sales during the Great Depression, but it didn’t catch on. Two years later, Thanksgiving was moved back to its original place in the fourth week of November.
- Sarah Josepha Hale, a renowned magazine editor and author during the 19th century, campaigned to make Thanksgiving a national holiday was also the author of the song, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
- Black Friday is known for being the busiest day out of the year for retailers, but it also happens to be the busiest day of business for plumbers. Plumbing companies tend to see a business increase of 21 to 40 percent on Black Friday each year—coincidentally the day after Americans gorge themselves on turkey and pie.
Turkey Day Trivia
