With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we’re bringing you a few fun facts to share with your friends and family during your upcoming holiday celebration.
1. In the United States, 32 counties, places and townships are named Plymouth.
2. Pumpkin pie was thought to have been included at the pilgrims' second Thanksgiving in 1623. However, English military and political leader Oliver Cromwell banned pie in 1644, denouncing it as a pagan pleasure, forcing people to hide their passion for pies. The ban was lifted in 1660.
3. The world’s largest pumpkin pie, made at the 2010 Pumpkinfest in New Bremen, Ohio weighed 3,699 pounds and was 20 feet in diameter.
4. In 2012, the U.S. produced 2.6 billion pounds of sweet potatoes, more than 1.2 billion pounds of pumpkins, and an estimated 768 million pounds of cranberries.
5. The National Turkey Federation estimates that 736 million pounds of turkey meat are consumed every year on Thanksgiving.
6. Minnesota is our top turkey-producing state. Cranberries, on the other hand, are primarily grown in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington.
7. One can of jellied cranberry sauce—which is extremely popular this time of year--contains around 200 cranberries.
8. Instead of eating cranberries, Native Americans used them to dye clothing and keep wounds from getting infected. In fact, cranberries weren’t even present at the first Thanksgiving.
9. Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3, 1862, naming the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving.
10. NBC Radio broadcast the first national Thanksgiving Day football game in 1934, when the Detroit Lions played the Chicago Bears. Other than during World War II, the Lions have played every Thanksgiving Day since.
Sources
Thanksgiving 2013: What to Know about Turkey Day
Fun Facts about Pie
U.S. Census Bureau Facts for Features: Thanksgiving Day: Nov. 28, 2013
Thanksgiving 2013 Holiday Facts: All You Need to Know about Turkey Day
13 Surprising Facts about Your Thanksgiving Groceries
