B. Potatoes
C. Passenger pigeon
7. The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade included an appearance by...
A. The Easter bunny, for some reason
B. A giant Felix the Cat balloon
C. Animals from the Central Park Zoo
8. Which Thanksgiving side dish did Dorcas Reilly invent?
A. Green bean casserole
B. Cranberry sauce
C. Yams with marshmallows
9. Which utensil was missing from the first Thanksgiving?
A. Spoon
B. Fork
C. Knife
10. Which of these food products may be the result of a Thanksgiving mix-up?
A. Chex Mix
B. Tofurkey
C. TV dinners
ANSWERS:
1. George Washington The nation's first president formally declared Thursday, November 26, 1789, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer in his speech. However, it wasn't until 1863 that President Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday after much persuasion from writer Sarah Josepha Hale.
2. C - 4,500
Research from the Calorie Control Council indicates that Americans consume 4,500 calories—and 229 grams of fat—on Thanksgiving. Though caloric needs vary by individual weight, size, and height, we're going to skip that extra slice of pie. Maybe.
3. B. WisconsinTurns out the sand and peat marshes in central and northern Wisconsin are the perfect growing conditions for cranberries—which also happen to be the state's official fruit. The Midwestern state harvests more than 60 percent of the country's crop.
4. A. Snoopy & Woodstock
Snoopy's Thanksgiving repast for Charlie and his friends includes jelly beans, popcorn, pretzels, and toast. Traditional? No. But impressive for a dog. Even Snoopy's pal Woodstock helps out in the 1973 TV special.
5. B. Jacksonville Jaguars
Even with the NFL adding a third Thanksgiving game in 2006, the Jags (who entered the league in 1995) haven't played on Turkey Day. Every other team has played at least once. Maybe next year, Jags fans.
6. B. Potatoes
Neither white potatoes, originating from South America, nor sweet potatoes, originating in the Caribbean, had been introduced in North America in 1621. But eel and pigeon were definitely on the menu in 1621.
7. C. Animals from the Central Park Zoo
At the inaugural version of the parade, in 1924, residents of the zoo were part of the cavalcade. Giant balloons of cartoon characters were added three years later. However, the parade has always included an appearance from Santa Claus.
8. A. Green bean casseroleReilly worked for Campbell's Soup Company, and in 1955 was tasked with creating a side dish using green beans and Cream of Mushroom Soup. Her creation became immensely popular in the following decades.
9. B. Fork
Guests at that legendary meal ate using knives, spoons, and their fingers. Forks weren't introduced to the Pilgrims until 10 years later and didn't become a popular utensil until the 18th century.
10. C. TV dinners
Most sources say that in 1953, the Swanson company ordered too many Thanksgiving turkeys. To use the excess food, workers filled aluminum trays with the turkey and side dishes, creating a mass-marketed frozen dinner. Other sources say the Swanson brothers came up with the idea on purpose. Just another thing to argue about around the Thanksgiving table.
Trivia:
The National Thanksgiving Proclamation was the first presidential proclamation of Thanksgiving in the United States. President George Washington declared Thursday, November 26, 1789 as a day of public…
Most Americans don’t. Formerly a person living under the tyranny of the King of England, George Washington found himself the first elected leader in a land of liberty and justice for all.
The first President’s Thanksgiving Proclamation emanates a reverent gratitude and recognition for all that God had done, and would do, for the new nation.
It’s been nearly four centuries since the first Thanksgiving in 1621, but it wasn’t until the midst of the Civil War that it was made a national holiday.
The ritual of issuing official Thanksgiving Proclamations is deeply ingrained in the laws and traditions of the United States of America.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the tenth prime-time animated television special based upon the popular comic strip
Peanuts, by
Charles M. Schulz.
It originally aired on the CBS network on November 20, 1973, and won an Emmy Award the following year.
[1] It was the third holiday special after A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965 and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown in 1966.
[2]The first Thanksgiving was a celebration of the Pilgrims’ first autumn harvest in 1621. They shared a feast with their Native American neighbors, who had helped them survive and plant crops. The meal likely included local vegetables such as onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots and peas
1.
However, there is no definitive record of what was served at the first Thanksgiving meal. Some historians believe that the meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, different from today’s traditional Thanksgiving feast
2.
The story of the first Thanksgiving is often portrayed inaccurately as a peaceful event, but it also involved tensions and conflicts between the colonists and the natives
1.
Dorcas Reilly was a Campbell’s test kitchen supervisor who created the six-ingredient green bean casserole recipe in 1955
1. The recipe uses Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, milk, green beans, soy sauce, black pepper, and French fried onions
1. The dish was originally conceived as a way to sell Campbell’s products, but the fact that it uses prepared, shelf-stable ingredients helped make it a hit
1.
Her job involved developing dishes that featured the company’s ready-made soup products as star ingredients. Hundreds of her creations were printed on the backs of soup cans, but none had the same level of impact as her vehicle for green beans and condensed mushroom soup
1.
Reilly’s green bean casserole recipe doesn’t call for any fancy techniques or hard-to-source ingredients. It consists of one can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, half a cup of milk, four cups of green beans, a teaspoon of soy sauce, a dash of black pepper, and one and one-third cups of French fried onions
1.
After setting aside half of the onions for a topping, the other components get mixed together in a casserole dish and baked for 25 minutes in a 350°F oven. The remaining onions are then sprinkled on top, and the casserole goes back in the oven for five minutes until the inside is hot and bubbly and the top is brown and crisp
1.
Her original casserole is still a cherished part of Thanksgiving dinners today
1.
The fork did not become popular in North America until near the time of the American Revolution. The standard four-tine design became current in the early 19th century.
Thereafter the fork disappeared from the table for nearly 300 years. In England the fork was slow to gain acceptance because it was considered a feminine utensil.
In fact, it wasn’t until Italians popularized their use in the 16th century that the use of forks became widespread and began their journey in dining rooms the world over.
The first ever TV dinners were created by Maxson Food Systems, Inc. They were called Strato-Plates and sold to airline staff and passengers beginning in 1945
1 However, the company’s founder died soon after and the company ran into financial issues, so Strato-Plates were never offered in supermarkets
1.
The original TV dinner that was marketed to the public was created in 1954 by two brothers, Gilbert C. and W. Clarke Swanson, who aptly named the meal “Swanson’s TV Dinners.” It included packaged turkey, cornbread stuffing, peas, and sweet potatoes
2. These meals were priced at 98 cents and were an immediate success
3.
TV dinner portions became significantly larger when, in 1973, Swanson debuted their Hungry Man meals and Banquet introduced their Man Pleaser dinners
1.
In the 1980s, advertising moved away from images of harried housewives to show more tranquil, relaxed diners enjoying their meals without any stress
1.
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About the Writer - Jeremy D. Bailey, a member of the
