2. The first National celebration of Thanksgiving was declared in 1777 by the Continental Congress. However, this was not an annual event.
3.The president to proclaim the first 'National Day of Thanksgiving' in 1789 was George Washington. http://wilstar.com/holidays/wash_thanks.html
4. In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. http://holydays.tripod.com/linc.htm
5. Every President since Lincoln has proclaimed Thanksgiving Day. But in 1939, 1940, and 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving the third Thursday in November to lengthen the holiday shopping season.
6. It was not until 1941, that congress declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. It was declared to be the fourth Thursday in November.
7. Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented the President of the United States with one live turkey and two dressed turkeys. The live turkey is pardoned and lives out the rest of its days on a peaceful farm.
8. At one time, the turkey and the bald eagle were each considered the national symbol of the United States of America.
9. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. at Thanksgiving—that's one sixth of all turkeys sold in the U.S. each year.
10. Recent studies suggest that carbohydrate-rich meals may cause sleepiness by increasing the number of tryptophans in the brain.
Coloring page: http://www.kookerkids.com/Coloring/thanksgiving/turkey.htm
