Misconceptions And Facts You Didn't know About Thanksgiving

Today, November 26, marks the 399th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving (In the United States). This holiday has a great impact on the average American. But there are some small hidden facts that not many people know about. So today, I have a special Thanksgiving Day article that reveals truths about one of the most celebrated holidays in America.

Number One

Everyone knows that the Pilgrims left England for the New World in 1620. Well, that is technically true, and it technically isn't. See, the Pilgrims left England for Holland in 1613 to escape the Church of England. In Holland, they were able to practice their own beliefs, but soon they decided to go to the New World. They struck a deal with the King of England and started their voyage from Holland to the New World.

Number Two

Initially, the Pilgrims left Holland on two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell (see top map). But as they were sailing, there was a leakage in the Speedwell. In Plymouth, England, the passengers on board the Speedwell (except for a few) transferred to the Mayflower. Then they sailed across the Atlantic ocean and landed in Massachusetts.

Number Three

The Pilgrims first saw Cape Cod on November 9, 1620. At first, they tried to sail around Cape Cod to the Hudson River but decided to go back due to large currents. They settled down in Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod. A little later, they went to what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, near the site of Plymouth Rock. Through the first few weeks, they struggled to produce enough food to feed the colony. And that's where Squanto came in.

Number Four

Squanto, or Tisquantum, was a Native American that lived in the Patuxet village. When the English came to the New World in the early 1600s, Squanto was kidnapped and brought back to England. He was given to Ferdinando Gorges, with who Squanto became friends. In England, Squanto learned the English language and culture. A couple of years later, he returned on one of Captain John Smith's ships back to Massachusetts. But while he was walking back to Patuxet, he, along with twenty others, were kidnapped by Captian Thomas. He brought them to Spain, where they were sold to others. But Squanto was able to escape to a church, where the friars tended for him until he was well enough to go to England. One day, Squanto knocked on a door. He asked a man if he could stay there. The man instantly recognized him. He let Squanto stay at his house. Squanto entertained the children with stories of adventure. One day, he was allowed to finally return home on the ship of Thomas Dermer. When he arrived back at Patuxet, he couldn't believe his eyes. The whole trip had fallen to smallpox. If he had stayed in Patuxet, he would have died too. For a while, he stayed at a nearby village. When the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, they struggled a lot. Many people died, mostly to starvation and disease. But Squanto saved their colony. He taught the Pilgrims to use fish as a fertilizer for their crops. That gave their corn lots of nutrition. He was also a very valuable translator. Because of him, the Wampanoag and the English allied. When one group was attacked, the other would help them.

Number Five

With the help of Squanto, the Pilgrims had a plentiful harvest in 1621. One day, the Native Americans heard guns being shot. They were afraid that the settlers were being attacked. So, the Wampanoag chief, Samoset, took ninety men with him to go find out what was going on. Turns out the Pilgrims were firing guns to celebrate their harvest. Samoset and his men decided to join the feast. But there wasn't enough food to feed ninety unexpected guests. So, the Wamponaog went hunting and brought back some deer, duck, and nuts. For three whole days, the Wampanoag and the Englishmen feasted, talked, and celebrated. They weren't officially invited, they just happened to join in.

Number Six

So why are we still celebrating this feast nearly five hundred years later? Well, many states had some sort of Thanksgiving celebration in the early 1800s. But Sarah Hale, a newspaper writer, wanted a nationwide celebration. She campaigned all around the country. Finally, she was able to convince President Lincoln to declare a nationwide Thanksgiving holiday. He hoped to reunite the nation during the Civil War.

Number Seven

One of the first two things that come to mind when you think of Thanksgiving is the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and Football (or Jerome Bettis and He-Tails). Now, both of these started in the 1920s and '30s. Most households had radios, so Macy's decided it was a good idea for a large parade containing many people and large floats. The National Football League was created in 1920, so they decided it would be a great idea for them to start a Thanksgiving Day football game. Many wacky moments have happened in football on Thanksgiving, most notably when Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburg Steelers caused controversy as to if he said "heads" or "tails" during a coin flip (after it was enhanced, it was shown that he said "he-tails").

So there you have it: seven interesting facts and misconceptions about Thanksgiving.