Thanksgiving Trivia

Adam's Apple

Senior Member
Apr 25, 2004
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What 18th-century writer convinced Abraham Lincoln to deem Thanksgiving a national holiday?
A) Sarah Hale, editor of "The Godey's Lady's Book."
B) Sarah Jessica Parker, editor of "Sex and the City."
C) Sarah Lincoln, editor of "The Farmer's Almanac."

Answer: (A) Sarah Hale, who also pushed for nurseries for working moms, as well as public playgrounds. Hale edited "The Godey's Lady's Book," the first woman's magazine in America. She also wrote, "Mary had a little lamb."

Why can't domesticated turkeys fly?
A) Their wings are clipped at birth.
B) They don't have enough feathers.
C) They are too fat.

Answer: (C) Because an adult turkey has more than 3,500 feathers, their failure to launch comes from the fact they are simply too fat. Wild turkeys, by the way, can fly as fast as 55 miles per hour. Tom, apparently, needs to hit the gym.

What year did the Campbell Soup Co. improve/ruin Thanksgiving by publishing the first green bean/mushroom soup/onion recipe?

Answer: 1955. Which means if you're 50, you may have already eaten 500 pounds of the gooey stuff. Here's burping at you, kid.

What year did Detroit host its first Thanksgiving Day parade?
A) 1904
B) 1918
C) 1924

Answer: If you correctly answered "C," chances are you still fondly refer to it as the Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In its heyday, by the way, the J.L. Hudson building in Detroit was second largest department store in the United States - second only to Macy's in New York City. This year, however, is the 80th parade - Detroit took a break during WWII.

True or false: The day after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year.

Answer: False. And true. Now known as "Black Friday" because retailers can turn a year of red ink into a profitable one, the day does generate the most traffic, but, according to researchers at Purdue University, more dollars are spent daily in the three weekends before Christmas.

Pound for Pound

The National Turkey Federation says that in 2006, U.S. consumption of turkey is expected to be nearly 16.6 pounds per person. At Thanksgiving alone, 46 million turkeys will be roasted, fried and otherwise demised.

Don't Drink It

While Bronze, White Holland and Bourbon Red sound like yummy holiday drinks, they're actually common breeds of turkeys found in the United States. But because you can't fit a turkey in a blender, it's good to know wine makers now offer cranberry wine for the holidays.

A Bottle for Three

How much wine should you buy? Plan on serving at least one bottle (750ml) for every two to three adults.

Try the Original

Looking for an original recipe for pumpkin pie? Early settlers roasted their pumpkins whole in the ashes of a fire. When cooked, they split them open and added animal fat and maple syrup. Cool Whip, anyone?

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006611200308
 

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