Teachable Moment

the Teachable Moment

Interesting facts about Thanksgiving

· Sarah Joseph Hale, who is the author of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” contributed to the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. After sending letters to politicians for approximately 40 years advocating an official holiday, she finally convinced President Lincoln to support legislation establishing a national holiday of Thanksgiving in 1863. Before Thanksgiving, the only national holidays celebrated in the United States were Washington’s Birthday (now Presidents’ Day) and Independence Day. · The TV dinner was conceived by the Swanson Company, which was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, and originally sold farm produce. In 1953 Swanson had 260 tons of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and no idea what to do with it. When asked, one of the employees said that they should package it with sides in trays and freeze. After World War II, women were still working in the factories with less time to cook meals at home and welcomed the easyto- prepare meals.

· There is a grocery store in Paris named “Thanksgiving” that sells U.S. food such as Skippy peanut butter, Jello Instant Pudding, and Pop-Tarts to homesick ex-pats (Americans living in France away from familiar foods of the States). · In 2013, Tony Rohr, who was a manager at a Pizza Hut franchise in Elkhart, Indiana, was fired for refusing to open on Thanksgiving Day so that his employees could spend the holiday with their families. He was offered the job back.

· The day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for plumbers and septic tank companies, who call it “Brown Friday.” With all that eating, do we wonder why?