By US Rep. LeonardBoswell





Thanksgiving is great time of year. For the vast majority of Americans, Thanksgiving is a time to be together with friends and family, relax, give thanks and enjoy a meal together. We have so much to be thankful for as Americans and Iowans, we’re truly blessed to live in the United States.

We all know the legendary story of the first Thanksgiving but here are some additional interesting facts about this great Holiday:

Even though the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 and while Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday in November to be the National Day of thanksgiving, Congress did not make Thanksgiving an official holiday until 1941.

The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys were consumed on Thanksgiving Day alone. That’s roughly one-fifth of the turkeys consumed in a year.

The largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed over 2,000 pounds and was 12 feet long.

The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was held in 1924 to signify the start of the Christmas shopping season. The giant balloons weren’t a part of the parade until 1927, to that point animals from the central park zoo were used in the parade. Snoop has appeared as a balloon in the parade more than any other character, as of 2006 Snoop has been in the parade 6 times.

Though the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in what would be modern Massachusetts, they intended to settle in Virginia and continue up the Hudson River into New York. However they landed in Cape, Cod instead and treacherous seas prevented them from continuing.

Hopefully all of you in Iowa’s 3rd district have an enjoyable Thanksgiving with friends and family.