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1621 The first Thanksgiving dinner is served by Pilgrims
1863 Abraham Lincoln proclaims Thanksgiving a national holiday.
46 million The number of turkeys eaten for Thanksgiving last year.
96% Percentage of Americans who ate turkey at Thanksgiving
15 Average weight of Thanksgiving turkey in pounds.
690 million Pounds of turkey consumed last year at Thanksgiving.
3,500 Number of feathers a turkey has at maturity.
20 Miles per hour a turkey can run
265 million The estimate of turkeys raised in the United States last year. The turkeys produced together weighed 7.2 billon pounds and were valued at $3.2 billion.
13.4 pounds The quantity of turkey consumed by the typical American last year, with a hearty helping devoured at Thanksgiving time. Per capita sweet potato consumption was 4.7 pounds.
49% Percentage of Americans who say turkey is their favorite Thanksgiving food.
14% Percentage of Americans who prefer stuffing.
3rd Place for mashed potatoes, ham, and pumpkin pie with each of them receiving 5% of the vote.



The most popular way to eat leftover Thanksgiving turkey is in a sandwich, followed by a soup or stew, or in salad. Last place? Casserole.
40% Percentage of Americans who will eat Thanksgiving dinner at home.
51% Percentage of Americans will dine at someone else’s house.
7% Percentage of Americans who will go to restaurants.
One million People watched pro-football on Thanksgiving.
1934 The year the Detroit Lions hosted the first nationally broadcast on radio.
72 million The cans of cranberry sauce Americans will buy.
3 to 1 Favorite is the classic jelly log, which contains 200 cranberries.

More Turkey Trivia

Breast in Show… Since the 1920s, turkeys have been bred to produce more white meat. One breed was so “frontally” developed that it was nicked the “Bronze Mae West”.

Wild for Turkey… 96% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving, consuming a total of 46 million birds, or about one gobbler for every 6 people.

Bird’s-Eye… In the U.S. there are 2.4 million turkey hunters, who spend more than $1.79 billion annually on gear, including turkey-calling devices, decoys… and special socks.

Spud-Come-Lately… It’s hard to imagine Thanksgiving without the sweet potato – and marshmallow casserole – that kids’ table favorite, but a recipe for it didn’t appear until 1928m in Vital Vegetables.

Pie Contest… Apple pie might be all-American, but pumpkin is the most popular pie flavor on Thanksgiving, followed by apple, chocolate, lemon meringue, and cherry.

3: Number of places in the United States named after the holiday’s main course. Turkey, Texas, was the most populous, with 492 residents; followed by Turkey Creek, LA (347); and Turkey, NC (269). There are also 9 townships around the country named Turkey, three in Kansas.

8: Number of places and townships in the United States that are named Cranberry or some spelling variation of the name.

28: Number of places in the United States named Plymouth, as in Plymouth Rock, legendary location of the first Thanksgiving. Plymouth, Minnesota is the most populous, with 69,701 residents; Plymouth, Massachusetts had 54,923. There is just one township in the United States named Pilgrim. Located in Dade County, Missouri, its population was 125.

The United States is the world’s largest exporter of turkey products and producers currently send nearly half a billion pounds of meat a year abroad, with more than half sent to Mexico.

Source: National Turkey Federation