Thursday, the majority of us will fill our bellies with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and all sorts of other goodies.

A lot of us will take turns going around the table and announcing what we are thankful for, and then plenty of us will watch football until we fall asleep, blissfully stuffed to the brim with all things Thanksgiving.

We learn as young children the origins of Thanksgiving. It’s a celebration of when the pioneers from Europe broke bread with Native Americans — a sort of peace offering celebrating the harvest of the natives and the settling of the newcomers.

We have a basic understanding of the foundational history of Thanksgiving, but there are plenty of facts that most are probably unaware of.

Did you know:

• As legend has it, Sarah Josepha Hale, an American magazine editor, is responsible for convincing Abraham Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.

• In 1939, President Roosevelt decided that Thanksgiving would be on Nov. 23 instead of Nov. 30 in order to spur economic growth and extend the Christmas shopping season. Two years later, Congress passed a law ensuring that all Americans would celebrate a unified Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November.

• Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey and two dressed turkeys to the president. The president then “pardons” the live turkey and allows it to live out its days on a historical farm.

In addition to these historical facts, there are plenty of interesting tidbits related to the Thanksgiving Americans celebrate today.

For example:

• About 280 million turkeys are sold in the United States annually for Thanksgiving.

• A 15-pound turkey has about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.

• Canadians also celebrate Thanksgiving, but they celebrate in October instead.

• The average American eats 16 to 18 pounds of turkey each year.

This year, as you take turns telling everyone what you are thankful for, you’ll be equipped with some fun facts to wow them with, too.

We wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.