• The Pilgrims originally left England for religious freedom in Holland.  Later they returned to England and then came to America in 1620.
• It took them 63 days to make the journey.
• 102 Pilgrims came but only about 51 survived the first winter, and half of them were children.  (Only 5 women to cook all that big feast, too.)
• They first encountered Indians on First Encounter Beach-- the Indians attacked with bows and arrows; the English drew guns. 
  
• Squanto was captured by the English and sold as a slave.  Later when he returned to America he was able to help the white men.
• The Pilgrims originally boarded the Speedwell, but it sprung many leaks.  They ended up on the Mayflower.
• Squanto taught the Pilgrims to plant a fish with the corn (for fertilizer.)
• The word  Wampanoag (Squantos tribe) means People of the Dawn.
• Massasoit was the leader of the Wampanoag who made a peace treaty with the Pilgrims.
• Pilgrims named their kids fun quirky names like Wrestling, Desire, Love, Humility, Peregrine (which means pilgrim or traveller), Resolved and Remember.  Oh and don't forget Oceanus, who was born on the Mayflower.
• The Macy's Day parade was started in 1924 by Macy's employees who were second generation immigrants and wanted to honor America with a festival similar to what they would have done in Europe.
• Originally they used live animals.  They were replaced by balloons in 1927-- the first was Felix the Cat.
• Americans eat an average of 16.7 pounds of turkey per year.
• The original feast lasted 3 days.  They ate fowl (not necessarily turkey), venison, boiled pumpkin (no oven for pies), fried cornbread, nuts, berries, fish, lobster, and clams.
• 90 Indians came to the first TG feast.
• The first Thanksgiving football game was in 1934-- the Detroit Lions played the Chicago Bears.
• The first meal eaten on the moon was roasted turkey and trimmings.

• Spanish-- gracias
• Italian--grazie
• French-- merci
• Swahili--asante
• Wampanoag--taubut
• Arabic--shukrah
• German--danke schoen
• Japanese-- arigato
• Scottish-- thenk ye
• Russian-- spasibo
• Hebrew-- todah
  

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