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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

The famous pilgrim celebration at Plymouth Colony Massachusetts in 1621 is traditionally regarded as the first American Thanksgiving. However, there are actually 12 claims to where the 'first' Thanksgiving took place: two in Texas, two in Florida, one in Maine, two in Virginia, and five in Massachusetts.

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Today's Random Fact:

The Pilgrim's thanksgiving feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 1. It lasted three days and included 50 surviving pilgrims and approximately 90 Wampanoag Indians, including Chief Massasoit. Their menu differed from modern Thanksgiving dinners and included berries, shellfish, boiled pumpkin, and deer.

Now a Thanksgiving dinner staple, cranberries were actually used by Native Americans to treat arrow wounds and to dye clothes.

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Bonus Fact:

The famous 'Pilgrim and Indian' story featured in modern Thanksgiving narratives was not initially part of early Thanksgiving stories, largely due to tensions between Indians and colonists.

Native Americans 'Unthanksgiving Day' commemorates the struggle for Native American rights. Held every year on the island of Alcatraz since 1975, 'Unthanksgiving Day' commemorates the survival of Native Americans following the arrival and settlement of Europeans in the Americas.