The History and Evolution of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving traces back to 1621, Plymouth. Pilgrims celebrated the harvest with Wampanoag Native Americans, a three-day feast. It wasn't an annual event until much later and not always about giving thanks, but rather a celebration of harvest.

George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, 'as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer,' but it didn't become an annual tradition until President Lincoln's 1863 declaration.

The original feast likely included venison, duck, goose, and seafood. Turkey wasn't the centerpiece until the 1800s. Pumpkin pie appeared after the American Revolution when the embargo on British goods made local ingredients essential.

Author of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb,' Hale lobbied for Thanksgiving to be a national holiday for 17 years. Her efforts paid off when Lincoln declared it in 1863, partly in an attempt to unite the country during the Civil War.

The first NFL games were played on Thanksgiving in 1920. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade started in 1924, originally with live animals from the Central Park Zoo, before it became known for its giant helium-filled balloons.

Thanksgiving wasn't always on the fourth Thursday of November. FDR moved it up a week to extend the shopping period before Christmas during the Great Depression, but public outcry led to the 'Franksgiving' controversy, and Congress settled on the fourth Thursday in 1941.

While a uniquely American holiday, Thanksgiving has influenced similar celebrations worldwide. Canada's Thanksgiving in October, Liberia's in November, and variations in the Netherlands and Norfolk Island reflect America's cultural impact.