In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims, early settlers of Plymouth Colony, held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest, an event many regard as the nation’s first Thanksgiving. Historians have also recorded ceremonies of thanks among other groups of European settlers in North America, including British colonists in Virginia in 1619.
The legacy of thanks and the feast have survived the centuries, as the event became a national holiday in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving.
Later, President Franklin Roosevelt clarified that Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month to encourage earlier holiday shopping, never on the occasional fifth Thursday.
The U.S. Census Bureau collected and reported the following data.
242 million
The number of turkeys expected to be raised in the United States in 2010. That’s down 2 percent from the number raised during 2009. The turkeys produced in 2009 together weighed 7.1 billion pounds and were valued at $3.6 billion.
47 million
The preliminary estimate of turkeys that Minnesota expected to raise in 2010. The Gopher State was tops in turkey production, followed by North Carolina (31 million), Arkansas (28 million), Missouri (17.5 million), Indiana (16 million) and Virginia (15.5 million). These six states together would probably account for about two-thirds of U.S. turkeys produced in 2010.
735 million pounds
The forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2010. Wisconsin is expected to lead all states in the production of cranberries, with 435 million pounds, followed by Massachusetts (195 million). New Jersey, Oregon and Washington are also expected to have substantial production, ranging from 14 million to 53 million pounds.
1.9 billion pounds
The total weight of sweet potatoes, another popular Thanksgiving side dish, produced by major sweet potato-producing states in 2009. North Carolina (940 million pounds) produced more sweet potatoes than any other state. It was followed by California (592 million pounds) and Louisiana (162 million pounds).
931 million pounds
Total production of pumpkins produced in the major pumpkin-producing states in 2009. Illinois led the country by producing 429 million pounds of the vined orange gourd. Pumpkin patches in California and Ohio also provided lots of pumpkins: Each state produced at least 100 million pounds. The value of all pumpkins produced by major pumpkin-producing states was $103 million.
195 million pounds
The nation’s forecasted tart cherry production for 2010, 46 percent below 2009’s forecasted total. Of this 2010 total, the overwhelming majority (140 million) will be produced in Michigan.
2.2 billion bushels
The total volume of wheat, the essential ingredient of bread, rolls and pie crust, produced in the United States in 2010. North Dakota and Kansas accounted for 33 percent of the nation’s wheat production.
736,680 tons
The 2010 contracted production of snap (green) beans in major snap (green) bean-producing states. Of this total, Wisconsin led all states (326,900 tons). Many Americans consider green-bean casserole a traditional Thanksgiving dish.
$7.3 million
The value of U.S. imports of live turkeys from January through July, 99.1 percent from Canada. When it comes to sweet potatoes, the Dominican Republic was the source of more than 60 percent ($3.4 million) of total imports ($5.5 million). The United States ran a $3.9 million trade deficit in live turkeys during the period but had a surplus of $31.5 million in sweet potatoes.