Interesting Facts About Thanksgiving

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* Abraham Lincoln declared that November 26th would be celebrated as Thanksgiving on October 3, 1863. * Turkey was probably not served on the first Thanksgiving. Swan, duck, shellfish, and venison were more plentiful at that time. * Wanting to give a boost to the economy during the Great Depression and give merchants a few extra days off Roosevelt declared Thanksgiving to be celebrated on the third Thursday in November back in 1939. * Only about 12 percent of Americans don't eat turkey on Thanksgiving. 46 million turkeys are prepared on Thanksgiving in America. * The famous department store Macy's puts on a parade every Thanksgiving since 1924. There were no balloons flown on the first parade, however. Real animals were used on loan from the Central Park Zoo. Picture is courtesy of Free Stock.