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Five Little-Known Thanksgiving Facts

In just two short weeks, many of us will gather around the table with our loved ones to enjoy some tryptophan-lined foods and each other’s company, as Thanksgiving again appears on our calendars. However, despite its cultural ubiquity, there are many facts about Turkey Day that are often ignored. Here are five of our favorite little-known Thanksgiving facts, from your old friends at Avondale Nissan.

Let the Turkey Soar? Ben Franklin, American statesman and founding father, was an early fan of the turkey. So much so, in fact, that he suggested that the turkey–and not the eagle–be named America’s national bird. In a letter, he once said that the eagle had “bad moral character,” and that the turkey was a “much more respectable bird.”
No Rest for the Plumbers. According to Roto-Rooter, the day after Thanksgiving–known to most of us as Black Friday–is the busiest day of the year for our nation’s plumbers. We won’t get into the details of why this might be, but we’re guessing that you might be able to put two-and-two together.
The Mother of Thanksgiving. Most remember from elementary school that Abraham Lincoln first recognized Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863. This was due largely to the efforts of a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote letters to politicians for about 40 years to make it an official holiday. She was a pretty busy lady: she also wrote “Mary had a Little Lamb.”
Thanksgiving created TV Dinners? While it’s hard to imagine a world without TV Dinners, this was actually once the case. It wasn’t until 1953, when an employee at Swanson Foods overshot the mark for how much turkey they’d sell for Thanksgiving, by an astronomical 26 tons. So, they did as any enterprising company would do: they sliced them up, added some corn, cranberries and potatoes, and the TV Dinner was born.
Turkey Towns. Care to live in the town of Turkey? Well, you have some options. You could move to Turkey Creek, Louisiana, home to 440 people. There’s also Turkey, Texas; Turkey, North Carolina; and who could forget Upper and Lower Turkeyfoot, Pennsylvania. And, if you’d prefer to stay closer to home, there’s Turkey Creek Valley, Texas, where Johnny Ringo met his demise in 1882.
So, now you have some table-talk to get you through a long afternoon with the in-laws, right? And, if you’d like to talk turkey with us at Avondale Nissan, we encourage you to pay us a visit soon!