You may know Thanksgiving is a day full of gratitude, turkeys and loved ones—but how many Thanksgiving facts do you really know?
44 Fun Thanksgiving Facts to Wow Your Dinner Guests
Updated on Mar. 27, 2025
If you’re reading this, chances are, you’ve celebrated Thanksgiving a time or two (and probably more). It’s one of our nation’s most cherished holidays, filled with delicious food, precious memories, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and, most importantly, reminders of the many things to be grateful for. That’s why we’re putting your knowledge of holiday trivia to the test by sharing weird, funny and fun Thanksgiving facts.
How much do you really know about Thanksgiving past and present? Whether or not Turkey Day tops your list of favorite holidays, there’s no denying it offers tons of quirky and fun Thanksgiving facts related to its origin, traditions and, of course, the feast itself. Seriously—have you heard about the Butterball Turkey Hotline? We sure hadn’t!
So if you’re ready to dive into some of the most interesting (and potentially laugh-out-loud) Thanksgiving facts, keep reading. You won’t want to miss these fun tidbits.
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Fun Thanksgiving facts
1. The first Thanksgiving was recorded in a letter
Pretty much everything we know about the first Thanksgiving was written in a letter by a colonist named Edward Winslow. Written to someone he refers to as a “loving and old friend,” the letter is quite lengthy, and he touches on Thanksgiving only briefly. The full history of Thanksgiving is complex and even disturbing.
2. Americans eat more than 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving Day each year
We don’t call it “Turkey Day” for nothing! Here’s a fun Thanksgiving fact: According to the National Turkey Federation, around 88% of Americans enjoy turkey as part of their holiday feast each year. That adds up to over 46 million turkeys, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)—enough to feed the nation’s love for this Thanksgiving tradition.
3. Thanksgiving wasn’t always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month
Thanksgiving has been around for a long time. In fact, George Washington issued the first presidential proclamation of a Thanksgiving celebration in 1789. Other presidents followed in his footsteps, issuing proclamations of their own.
For decades, Thanksgiving was held on various dates. But in 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it should be celebrated on the last Thursday of November. In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the date up a week earlier; however, some states refused to play along. In 1941, Congress stepped in and passed a resolution setting a fixed date for Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of the second-to-last month.
4. Not every president recognized Thanksgiving
Thomas Jefferson was the first president to refuse to declare a Thanksgiving proclamation. Since previous presidents had declared Thanksgiving to be a day of fasting, prayer and gratitude, Jefferson felt the holiday inappropriately crossed the boundary separating church and state.
5. Thanksgiving is also known as the National Day of Mourning
One of the most significant Thanksgiving facts is that, for many Native Americans, particularly the Wampanoag tribe, the holiday is not a celebration but a National Day of Mourning. For them, the holiday serves as a reminder of the painful legacy of European colonization, which brought immense hardship and loss to their people. It’s a day to honor and remember the lives lost and the suffering endured by Indigenous communities throughout history.
6. Wine, beer and whiskey are the three most popular Thanksgiving drinks
On Thanksgiving, people are in the spirit of celebration—literally! The average person enjoys 2.7 drinks on Thanksgiving, which is more than the recommended amount (one drink or less for women and two or less for men). It’s a time for food, family and a little extra to toast the holiday!
7. Red wine wins on Thanksgiving
According to a survey by Instacart, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most popular type of wine Americans pair with their Thanksgiving dinner. Coming in second is Chardonnay, with a red blend placing third.
8. President Calvin Coolidge was gifted a raccoon to eat for Thanksgiving dinner
Here’s a weird and funny Thanksgiving fact: In November 1926, Vinnie Joyce from Nitta Yuma, Mississippi, sent President Coolidge a live raccoon to serve for Thanksgiving dinner. But instead of putting it on the menu, Coolidge adopted the raccoon as a family pet and named it Rebecca! Not your typical Thanksgiving feast, right?
9. Most Americans love their Thanksgiving leftovers
Let’s be honest: Nothing satisfies quite like Thanksgiving leftovers. According to a 2024 survey by Jennie-O, a whopping 96% of Americans enjoy their leftovers. Who can resist that next-day turkey sandwich or a second helping of stuffing?
10. It’s estimated 50 million pumpkin pies are consumed on Thanksgiving Day alone
This might surprise you, but Americans actually eat more pie than turkey on Thanksgiving. Here’s a fun Thanksgiving fact: Americans devour an estimated 50 million pumpkin pies each Thanksgiving Day.
11. Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year for Americans
Are we really surprised by this Thanksgiving fact? Not so much. But here’s how huge our love of post-Thanksgiving deals is: According to Queue-it, a massive 76.3 million people shopped in-store on Black Friday in 2023—a 4.5% jump from 2022. And if that wasn’t enough, 90.6 million people took their shopping online, marking a 3.9% increase.
12. The first presidential turkey pardon wasn’t related to Thanksgiving
If you’ve ever wondered why the president pardons a turkey every Thanksgiving, you might be surprised to learn the tradition started with a different holiday altogether. That’s right! The presidential turkey pardon can be traced back to 1863, when Abraham Lincoln granted clemency to a live turkey intended for his family’s Christmas dinner.
13. Pardoned turkeys were sent to Disney
From 2005 to 2009, pardoned turkeys got the VIP treatment: They were sent to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Why, you ask? To serve as the honorary grand marshals of Disney’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, of course. Talk about a fairy-tale ending for those lucky birds!
14. Macy’s has put on almost 100 Thanksgiving Day parades
The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a holiday fixture since 1924. In fact, the department store skipped only two years—from 1942 to 1944, during World War II.
In addition to floats with Mother Goose nursery rhyme characters the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Little Red Riding Hood and Little Miss Muffet the inaugural parade also included real bears, monkeys, elephants and other animals on loan from the Central Park Zoo. In 1927, the animals were replaced with giant balloon characters because their frightened growls scared the children.
15. The turducken has deep roots in New Orleans
New Orleans has a legendary food scene, but many people don’t know that the Thanksgiving turducken has roots there. In case you’ve never had this mouthwatering marvel, a turducken is a deboned chicken placed inside a deboned duck, placed inside a deboned turkey. It’s a lot of poultry! Chef Paul Prudhomme is believed to have invented the dish and served it at his New Orleans restaurant, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen.
16. A town once postponed Thanksgiving because of pumpkin pie
Our list of weird and funny Thanksgiving facts wouldn’t be complete without a story about pumpkin pie. In 1705, the townspeople of Colchester, Connecticut, were so dedicated to the dessert that they elected to postpone the holiday because foul weather had interfered with their molasses shipment. Without molasses, they couldn’t make pumpkin pie, and without pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same.
17. The first Thanksgiving menu probably included lobster
If your family Thanksgiving meal traditionally includes side dishes like mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, you might be surprised to know that they weren’t served on the first Thanksgiving. In fact, potatoes weren’t widely grown in North America yet, and cranberry sauce wouldn’t officially be mentioned until 1796 in a cookbook titled American Cookery. What was most likely on the first Thanksgiving menu? Indigenous foods like lobster, clams, mussels, venison and corn porridge.
18. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving too
One Thanksgiving fact you may not know is that the holiday isn’t just celebrated in the United States. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving too. Canadians, however, offer Thanksgiving wishes in October, when they give thanks for a safe voyage that took place more than 40 years before the Mayflower crossing.
19. Black Friday is a busy day for plumbers
If you’re in the habit of braving the stores on Black Friday, there’s a group of people you’re not likely to see in the crowds: plumbers. It turns out that enough people clog their sinks and garbage disposals on Thanksgiving to make it the busiest day of the year for these handy folks.
20. The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line answers over 100,000 calls a year
If you’ve got a question about your Thanksgiving turkey, the Butterball Turkey Hotline is at your service. Each year, Butterball’s experts take over 100,000 calls about turkey preparation during November and December. Some of the questions they receive are hilarious!
21. Thanksgiving inspired the first TV dinners
In 1953, the folks at Swanson didn’t sell as many Thanksgiving turkeys as expected. In fact, they had some 260 tons of unsold turkey on hand. Inspired by the meals served in trays on airplanes, Swanson salesperson Gerry Thomas used the turkeys to create the world’s first TV dinners. They sold for 98 cents each. These ready-made meals were an immediate hit, and Thomas received a $300 a month raise and a $1,000 bonus for coming up with the idea.
22. Airline tickets are really expensive on the Sunday after Thanksgiving
Sometimes a little knowledge of Thanksgiving trivia comes in handy. For instance, it pays to know that the Sunday after Thanksgiving is usually one of the most expensive days to fly, due to high demand. Booking your tickets home for the day after Black Friday or staying a day or two longer could save you a considerable amount of money.
It can also save you from the hassles that come with flying on a peak travel day. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Sunday after Thanksgiving was the busiest single day of the entire year at U.S. airports. In fact, according to money site NerdWallet, more than 2.9 million people crossed through U.S. airport security checkpoints that day in 2023.
23. The first Turkey Trot was held in Buffalo, New York
If your Thanksgiving morning includes getting up early to run in a Turkey Trot, you’re participating in a tradition that dates back over a century. The first Turkey Trot was established in 1896 in Buffalo, New York. A mere six runners showed up to participate. Since then, the race has become decidedly more popular, with more than a million participants showing up for Turkey Trots across the nation.
24. A very familiar Christmas carol was written for Thanksgiving
Sometimes, Thanksgiving trivia and Christmas trivia collide. As it turns out, James Lord Pierpont reportedly wrote “Jingle Bells” so it could be performed by his father’s Sunday school class on Thanksgiving. No wonder the lyrics don’t mention anything about Christmas!
25. Cracking wishbones is an ancient tradition
Ever broke a turkey wishbone with a family member on Thanksgiving? It’s been said that the person who ends up with the larger piece will have good luck. This tradition predates Thanksgiving—it originated with ancient Etruscans who snapped chicken bones. The chicken bones were dried in the sun and used as good luck charms.
26. The first Thanksgiving was long … really long
Drawings of everyone gathered around a table enjoying a meal at the first Thanksgiving are misleading. The first Thanksgiving feast took place in 1621, and it was more than just a single meal. It was a celebration that lasted three days. This is far from the only piece of Thanksgiving history to be frequently misrepresented.
27. There’s a trick to avoiding Thanksgiving traffic
Holiday traffic can be notoriously difficult. According to Google Maps, the best time to avoid getting caught in a snarl is to set out for Thanksgiving on the Monday or Tuesday before the holiday around 8 p.m. local time instead of the night before.
The navigation app also recommends staying off the road between noon and 4 p.m. on the holiday, when traffic peaks. You might not be able to avoid running out for last-minute items on Turkey Day (luckily, some stores are open on Thanksgiving), but do what you can to make it home before the afternoon rush.
28. Critics pick a cartoon as a Thanksgiving movie classic
According to various critics and audience members alike, on Rotten Tomatoes, a favorite Thanksgiving movie is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Producer Lee Mendelson says he and Charles Schulz disagreed about a scene in which Snoopy’s pal Woodstock ate turkey because he didn’t think a bird would eat another bird. He was overruled, and the scene stayed in.
29. Green bean casserole was invented by a soup company
If your family holiday tradition includes green bean casserole, you have the Campbell Soup Company to thank. The recipe was developed by a woman named Dorcas Reilly, who worked in Campbell’s home economics department. Originally called Green Bean Bake, the recipe became a sensation when the company began printing it on the labels of its Cream of Mushroom soup cans.
30. The Pilgrims’ relationship with the Wampanoag tribe was mutually beneficial
The Pilgrims weren’t the first Europeans to arrive in the area we now call New England. Other White men had been there before, killing more than half of the Wampanoag tribe by spreading diseases like smallpox. Countless others were enslaved. When the Pilgrims arrived, the Wampanoag tribe had been largely decimated, leaving them in a vulnerable position compared with less-affected tribes. They formed an alliance with the Pilgrims, exchanging knowledge of how to farm the land for European weapons. Without this relationship, the Pilgrims wouldn’t have survived.
31. The Detroit Lions play every Thanksgiving
Watching football is a holiday tradition for many families. This is especially true if you’re a fan of the Detroit Lions. The Lions have played every Thanksgiving since 1934, the only exceptions being the years they didn’t play due to World War II.
32. Thanksgiving dinner is high in calories
All that Thanksgiving food is delicious, but—no surprise here—it’s not the healthiest. The average American can consume anywhere between 2,100 and 4,500 calories during their holiday celebration.
33. Astronauts in space don’t get the day off
Here’s a potentially weird Thanksgiving fact: If you’re an astronaut in outer space, you won’t have the luxury of time off on Thanksgiving. NASA still does its best to make the day special, however. Astronauts are treated to a traditional Thanksgiving menu that includes turkey, candied yams and mashed potatoes. After that, it’s back to work.
34. There is a part of Australia that celebrates Thanksgiving
Did you know Thanksgiving is celebrated beyond North America? On Norfolk Island, they’ve been marking the holiday since the late 1800s, thanks to American ships that brought the tradition with them. However, they celebrate on the last Wednesday of November.
35. Minnesota raises the most turkeys
There’s a good chance that turkey arrived at your table by way of the North Star State. Minnesota raises more turkeys than anywhere else in the United States.
36. There are three tiny U.S. towns named Turkey
The United States has three tiny towns named after the turkey: Turkey, North Carolina; Turkey, Texas; and Turkey Creek, Louisiana. Each one has a population of under 500. How’s that for a weird Thanksgiving fact?
37. There were probably more Native Americans than colonists at the first Thanksgiving
There were 24 male colonists, five married female colonists and 24 children at the first Thanksgiving. By contrast, there were at least 90 Native Americans taking part in the celebration.
38. There was no pumpkin pie at the first Thanksgiving
Although there was likely some sort of pumpkin dish served at the first Thanksgiving, it definitely wasn’t in pie form. The colonists didn’t have a baking oven at Plymouth Plantation!
39. The “Mother of Thanksgiving” also wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
What a small world! There was a period of time, before Thanksgiving became a national holiday, that it was celebrated only in the Northeast. In 1863, after campaigning for about three decades, Sarah Josepha Hale (aka the “Mother of Thanksgiving”) is credited with helping to convince President Abraham Lincoln to instate the holiday across the country. Hale coincidentally wrote the classic “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” So maybe you can add that to your list of Thanksgiving songs?
40. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons used to be let go at the end
You now know that before balloons were used at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the creators used zoo animals. But in 1927, after Felix the Cat floated down the streets of New York as the first-ever parade balloon, there wasn’t any protocol in place for deflating them. So once the parade was over, the balloons were simply let go. This strategy proved to be ineffective, as most of the balloons popped right after being released.
41. There once weren’t any size regulations on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons are huge, and there are rules in place that prevent them from getting any larger. In 1997, the balloons went haywire on a particularly windy holiday. The Barney balloon was punctured and the Pink Panther collapsed, with police having to step in, stab them in order to deflate it and regain control. And the Cat in the Hat struck a lamppost at 72nd Street, bringing the balloon down.
After these events, parade organizers came up with a size regulation: Balloons can’t be larger than 70 feet high, 78 feet long and 40 feet wide.
42. Last year, 31.3 million people tuned in to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
About 31.3 million Americans turned on their televisions to watch the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade last year. This was a 10% increase from 2023 and a new record for viewership.
43. Orlando is the most popular Thanksgiving destination
In 2024, an estimated 79.86 million Americans traveled on Thanksgiving, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). This was a 2.1% increase from the previous year. According to booking information, Orlando was the most popular domestic travel destination, followed by Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Meanwhile, the top international travel destination was Budapest, Hungary, followed by Mexicali, MexicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico took the No. 3 slot.
44. Thanksgiving is America’s second-favorite holiday
Can you guess what the first is? According to a YouGov survey, Christmas is Americans’ favorite, followed by Thanksgiving and then Halloween.
Additional reporting by Emma Taubenfeld.
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Sources:
- AAA Newsroom: “55.4 Million Americans Expected to Travel for Thanksgiving”
- YouGov: “Which holidays do Americans enjoy most—and least?”
- National Constitution Center: “The real story behind the presidential turkey pardon”
- Deadline: “‘The 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’ Generates Record Viewership”
- NerdWallet: “The Busiest Travel Days Around Thanksgiving”
- USDA: “Turkey Sector: Background & Statistics”
- National Turkey Federation: “America’s Bird”
- Liljegren Law Group: “Top 10 U.S. Holidays with the Most Binge Drinking”
- WATTPoultry: “Jennie-O conducts survey”
- Grub Americana: “Pumpkin Pie: America’s Favorite Holiday Pie”
- Queue-it: “127 Black Friday statistics every retailer needs to know in 2024”
