On Thursday, almost nine in 10 Americans will sit down to eat turkey, watch football and give thanks for what they have been blessed with over the past year. Here are some fun Thanksgiving Day facts to share with your relatives around the dinner table.
394
The number of years ago that the first Thanksgiving took place, in November 1621. The Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians gathered in Plymouth, mostly to feast on seafood, not turkey.
152
The number of years ago President Lincoln first established Thanksgiving as an annual holiday, in 1863.
19 percent
Portion of Americans who say Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. Christmas is first, with 46 percent. Halloween is third, with nine percent.
(AP Photo)
76 percent
Portion of Americans who will attend a Thanksgiving meal with a prayer.
$50.11
Average cost of a Thanksgiving Day feast for 10 people, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
19 percent
How much cheaper a Thanksgiving feast is today than in 1986, adjusted for inflation.
1989
First year a turkey was officially pardoned by the president, according to the American Presidency Project.
45 million
Number of turkeys killed every year for Thanksgiving, according to PETA.
7.6 billion
Number of calories consumed by Americans at Thanksgiving every year, assuming all 45 million turkeys eaten were 170-calorie-per-serving Butterball turkeys.
(AP Photo)
4,500
The number of calories in a typical Thanksgiving meal, including appetizers, drinks and desserts.
32 miles
How many miles an American male would have to run to burn off 4,500 calories, assuming he is of average weight (195.5 pounds) and running one mile every 11 minutes and 30 seconds. In other words, if a man were to run a marathon after a Thanksgiving meal, he still wouldn’t burn off the calories he consumed.
88
The approximate percentage of Americans who eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day, according to a National Turkey Federation survey
47 percent
Fraction of Americans who say apple pie is in their top three favorite types of pie.
(AP Photo)
47 million
the number of Americans who will travel at least 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving, with 3.6 million flying to their destination.
.434
The Detroit Lions’ winning percentage in Thanksgiving Day football games. 2015 will be the 71st year in a row that the Lions host an NFL game on Thanksgiving Day.
28.4 million
The average number of viewers who watched each Thanksgiving Day NFL game in 2014.
(AP Photo)
3.5 million
Number of people who line the streets of Manhattan to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
180-185 degrees Fahrenheit
The internal temperature a turkey should be cooked to, according to President Bartlet on The West Wing.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
