History
    In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians put aside their differences and shared a feast that is known today as the first Thanksgiving celebration in America. For the next two centuries, Thanksgiving was celebrated separately in each colony and state. According to Thanksgiving on the Net, in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held the fourth Thursday in Nov.
Thanksgiving Today
    Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to offer thanks. Tradition still resides as families continue to come together and share a meal of turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, but more deeply, it is a chance to appreciate our loved ones, troops and those in need. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the National Football League's Thanksgiving Classic are popular parts of the celebration as well.
1) The Pilgrims trip across the ocean lasted 65 days.
2) Only half of the 110 Pilgrims made it through the first year because of the harsh winter in the New World.
3) The original Thanksgiving feast lasted three days. In this celebration, games, races, and bow-and-arrow competitions were some featured activities.
4) The first Thanksgiving was actually celebrated on the Pilgrim’s second year of living in the New World to give thanks for the bountiful harvest.
5) 107 million American homes currently take part in Thanksgiving.
6) It is a tradition for U.S. Presidents to issue a pardon to the White House Thanksgiving turkey and it is able to continue its life on a farm.
7) The centerpiece of today’s Thanksgiving meal, the turkey, was not included in the original Pilgrim’s meal.
8) The first National Football League's Thanksgiving Classic game was played in 1934, when the Lions hosted the game as a gimmick to get people to go to Lions football games.
9) For many Native American people, Thanksgiving is cause for mourning rather than celebration. The land and lives of the Indian people were pillaged and destroyed many times during the early history of America. Racism and bigotry persisted until today. As a result, Thanksgiving has taken on negative historical significance for many Native Americans, who view that First Thanksgiving as the beginning of centuries of oppression and discrimination.
10) Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is widely proclaimed to be the biggest Christmas shopping day in America. But it is actually not the biggest shopping day. In fact, the Saturday before Christmas has historically been the largest volume shopping day.