NOVEMBER 2018
5 THANKSGIVING FUN FACTS Did You Know There Used to Be 2 Thanksgivings?
4. Cyber Monday The advent of digital technology saw the invention of a whole new aspect to Thanksgiving. Black Friday has been going on for decades, but the recent boost in online shopping spawned a new shopping trend. After a few years of gaining traction, Cyber Monday was born in 2005. Over the last few years, the new kid on the block has quickly jumped to mass popularity. The result is Cyber Monday and Black Friday blending together, as more consumers enjoy the luxury of shopping online. 5. Buy Nothing Day To combat consumerism, 1992 saw the very first celebration of “Buy Nothing Day.” For a few years, the idea bounced around on the calendar until finally settling on the day after Thanksgiving in 1997. This idea is gaining in popularity now more than ever, as Black Friday gradually transitions onto Thanksgiving Day, forcing employees to leave their families to go work. Whatever your idea of the perfect Thanksgiving is, our team at Service Plus AC & Heating would like to wish you a happy holiday.
Turkey, Pilgrims, and pumpkin pie are all synonymous with Thanksgiving, but over the years, the holiday picked up a few new traditions. Football, 5K runs, dog shows, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade all latched on, changing the way the day is spent for millions of families across the country. Here are five fun facts you might not know about Thanksgiving. 1. Turkey Trot For some, the idea of heading out into the November chill to run for extended periods of time sounds more like torture than a nice way to spend a holiday. But for many Americans, a Thanksgiving morning race is the perfect way to start a day centered on eating. Though they have recently attracted more attention, turkey trots have been around for quite some time. The oldest of these runs dates all the way back to 1896, in Buffalo, New York. It’s happened every year since, and it featured over 12,000 participants last year. 2. Two Thanksgivings During the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt made a push to stimulate the economy by moving Thanksgiving Day. At the time, the holiday occurred on the last Thursday of November, and in 1939, that meant turkey would be served on
the 30th. President Roosevelt feared that having the holiday so late in the month would stunt Christmas shopping, so he moved it up a week. Many states opposed the change, but Colorado, Texas, and Mississippi held two holidays. After three years of confusion, Congress officially moved Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November, and the rest is history. 3. Football During Roosevelt’s adjustment of the holiday — known as “Franksgiving” — the longtime tradition of the NFL playing on Thanksgiving came to a halt. Plenty of teams played on Thanksgiving Day before this, but 1939 and 1940 saw only two teams toss the pigskin around on Turkey Day. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles took to the field, but mostly because both teams were in the same state. The AFL showcased a couple of games, but with war looming in 1941, football slowly moved out of the minds of Americans. In 1945, Thanksgiving games recommenced, but only the Detroit Lions would have games on the holiday — mostly due to their NBC TV contract, worked out by owner George Richards. After seeing the success of the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, the Dallas Cowboys followed suit in 1966.
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