By: Sahil Luthra
travelling knowledge
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Celebrate Thanksgiving with these 10 fascinating facts! From the surprising origins to presidential turkey pardons, uncover the lesser-known aspects of this cherished holiday.
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Contrary to popular belief, the first Thanksgiving wasn't about pilgrims and Native Americans. It was a solemn feast in 1619 when English settlers gave thanks for their safe arrival in Virginia.
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President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, aiming to foster unity during the Civil War.
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The presidential tradition of pardoning a turkey began with President Harry Truman in 1947 and has become an annual event.
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Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade started in the 1920s as a Christmas parade to boost holiday shopping. It evolved into the iconic Thanksgiving spectacle we know today.
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Watching football on Thanksgiving is a long-standing tradition, dating back to 1876 when Yale and Princeton first faced off on the holiday.
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The National Dog Show, a Thanksgiving Day staple, has been held annually since 1933 and attracts millions of viewers.
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Cranberries were used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes, and the modern canned cranberry sauce was introduced in 1912.
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The concept of TV dinners was born on Thanksgiving in 1953 when Swanson misjudged the number of frozen turkeys it would sell.
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While Thanksgiving has deep historical roots, it became an annual tradition in 1863 when Lincoln declared it a national holiday.
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While not a global holiday, variations of thanksgiving are celebrated in different countries, such as Canada, Liberia, and Grenada.
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