Thanksgiving 2012

 

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we have compiled for you some interesting Thanksgiving, as well as Turkey Fun Facts. Check them out!

 

Interesting Thanksgiving Facts:

1. The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.

 

The pilgrims didn't use forks; they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers.

 

2. Abraham Lincoln issued a 'Thanksgiving Proclamation' on third October 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving.

 

Sarah Josepha Hale, an American magazine editor, persuaded Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday. She is also the author of the popular nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb".

 

3. Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States.

 

4. The wishbone is a tradition of Thanksgiving.

Allow the wishbone to dry. Then, two people grasp each end of the wishbone. After making a silent wish, they pull it away. Whoever gets the joint portion gets their wish.

 

5. Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.

 

 

Now, Interesting Facts about the Turkey Itself:

1. Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.

 

They also have poor night vision.

 

2. Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining.

 

3. The best time to see a turkey is on a warm clear day or in a light rain.

 

4. Turkey has more protein than chicken or beef.

 

5. Commercially raised turkeys cannot fly; but wild Turkeys can fly up to 55 mph for short distances.

 

6. The turkey industry grosses over $1billion a year.

 

7. Male Turkeys are called "Toms", female turkeys are called "Hens" and baby turkeys are called "poults".

 

- Male Turkeys gobble, but female Turkeys do not.

- That long, loose skin that hangs down from a turkey's neck is called a "wattle".

- Turkeys can sense movement over 100 yards away.

- Turkey skins are used to make cowboy boots and belts.

- Turkey contains an amino acid called "Tryptophan". Tryptophan sets off a chemical chain reaction that calms you down and makes you sleepy.

 

8. When a turkey becomes frightened, agitated, excited or ill, the exposed skin on its head and neck can change from its usual pale pink or bluish gray colour to red, white, or blue. And during mating season, the male turkey's wattle turns scarlet to reflect his elevated sex hormone levels.

 

9. A part of the bird's stomach, called the gizzard, contains tiny stones that the bird has previously swallowed. Also known as gastroliths, these polished stones aid in the breakdown of food for digestion, since birds do not have teeth.

 

10. Due to the white meat being the most popular part of a turkey, turkeys have been made to have huge breasts. So much so, that modern day domesticated turkeys are no longer typically able to mate due to the breasts getting in the way of the male mounting the female. As such, most hatcheries use artificial insemination to fertilise the eggs of the domestic turkey.

 

Thanksgiving also inspired some of the funniest Thanksgiving jokes or quotes:

 

1. "Thanksgiving is America's national chow-down feast, the one occasion each year when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty." - Michael Dresser

2. "Thanksgiving is the day when you turn to another family member and say, 'How long has Mom been drinking like this?' My Mom, after six Bloody Marys looks at the turkey and goes, “Here, kitty, kitty." - David Letterman

3. “Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still I’d like to express my thanks.” – Irving Berlin

4. “Thanksgiving is so called because we are all so thankful that it only comes once a year.” – P. J. O’Rourke

5. “You can tell you ate too much for Thanksgiving when you have to let your bathrobe out.” –Jay Leno

6. “Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” – Robert Caspar Lintner

7. “An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.” – Irv Kupcine

8. "Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often." – Johnny Carson

9. What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? – Erma Bombeck

10. "Here I am 5 o'clock in the morning stuffing bread crumbs up a dead bird's butt." - Roseanne Barr

11. "I love Thanksgiving turkey... it's the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts." – Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 

Do you have any funny Thanksgiving quotes or sayings that aren't listed here? Please feel free to share! There can never be enough laughter in life, can there?

 

Happy Thanksgiving!