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"First" Thanksgiving
The first Thanksgiving in Plymouth Colony was in 1621 with the Pilgrims celebrating their successful harvest for 3 days with the Wampanoag tribe. They ate such foods as wild turkey, duck, venison, lobster, clams, corn, green vegetables, and dried fruits. -
Thanksgiving as a Failed Tradition
President George Washington declared November 26th as a day of national Thanksgiving but it failed to catch on as an annual tradition. -
Abraham Lincoln Declares Thanksgiving Day
President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving Day annually after Sarah Hale campaigned for 17 years for it to be a national holiday. -
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade becomes Tradition
Macy's sponsored the first annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City commemorating the official start of the Christmas shopping season. -
Football as a Thanksgiving Tradition
The first National Football League game was held and broadcast on NBC Radio network, which eventually led to televised games on Thanksgiving Day. -
Fourth Thursday in November
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation establishing Thanksgiving Day as the fourth Thursday in November. -
Pardoning a Turkey becomes Tradition
President Harry Truman "pardoned" a turkey the day before it was to be the turkey eaten at the White House Thanksgiving Dinner. The pardoning of a turkey is now an annual White House Thanksgiving tradition.