Thanksgiving Trivia to Share at the Table

And one of my favorite comeback stories to share with you

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

First, some fun turkey trivia, which might set the table for a fun and festive mood.

Question 1: Who do we thank for declaring Thanksgiving a national holiday?

Answer: The first Thanksgiving happened in 1621, with likely no turkey. It wasn’t until 1863 when Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote “Mary had a little lamb,” petitioned President Lincoln that it became a national holiday. Hale’s nickname? “Mother of Thanksgiving.”

Question 2: When was the first Macy’s Day Parade?

Answer: The first parade happened in 1924 and was originally called the “Macy’s Day Christmas parade,” hoping to spark holiday shopping. The parade included monkeys, bears, camels, and elephants taken from Central Park Zoo—and no character balloons. Snoopy, where are you?

Question 3: How many turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving?

Answer: It’s estimated that 46 million turkeys are cooked. How many are fully consumed is a different answer. Instacart says that 68% of Americans don’t actually like Turkey and its side dishes.

Question 4: What is this holiday’s one lasting contribution to American culture that has spanned decades and will continue?

Answer: Frozen TV dinners. In 1953, Swanson completely overestimated the number of turkeys to be ordered, leaving them with 260 extra tons of turkey! They turned their mistake into an opportunity, creating reheatable turkey dinners packaged in individual trays. Swanson sold 10 million frozen turkey dinners in 1953, and the frozen TV dinner was born.

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And now for one of my favorite comeback stories:

The story is about Ernest Hemingway, a prolific and highly respected author in the 1930s who inspired many a writer. Then he had a bad stretch, going ten years without publishing a novel before releasing Across the River and Into the Trees, which was panned.

Hemingway was depressed, and his reputation was in ruin. In 1953, he wrote Old Man and The Sea. The book is more of a novella that clocks in at 128 pages, and of which he expected nothing. The book drew parallels between Hemingway’s failures and his unsuccessful fisherman protagonist.

It won him the Nobel prize. Reputation restored.

I think between playing the Thanksgiving trivia game and enjoying some comeback stories, we should be ready to toast the meal and have some fun.

Enjoy!