Memorial Day in the United States is a special national holiday celebrated on the last Monday in May every year.
This day is dedicated to those US servicemen who died defending the interests of the country in all wars and military conflicts in which the US has ever participated. But not everyone knows the history of this holiday.
History Memorial Day began after the American Civil War and was originally dedicated only to Confederate state soldiers who died during the war. Then the holiday had a different name - Decoration Day, because on this day it was customary to decorate the graves of dead soldiers with flowers and flags.
Bemorepanda collected some interesting facts so you can discover more about the history and meaning of this holiday.
1. The holiday was named the Day of Remembrance in 1866. For the first time, Memorial Day was officially celebrated in the small town of Waterloo, New York, on May 5, 1866.
2. The location was not chosen by chance. Here, a citywide campaign was held annually to clean the graves of the dead soldiers. This day was an official non-working day, so the introduction of the holiday did not affect the usual life in any way.
3. However, over time, the holiday has become very popular and even family. On May 5, 1868, the holiday was officially proclaimed by General John Logan, commander of the Old Republic Army.
4. He was commemorated on May 30, 1868 by the laying of flowers at the grave of Allied and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
5. In 1873, the holiday was officially recognized by the state of New York - the first state to celebrate it.
6. Since 1890, the holiday has been recognized by all Northern states of the United States.
7. The southern states refused to celebrate, remembering their loved ones who died in the war on other days.
8. After the First World War, on the Day of Remembrance began to commemorate the soldiers who died in battles in this war. But the holiday was still unofficial in much of the United States.
9. Memorial Day was recognized as a federal holiday only in 1971 with the adoption of the corresponding law - the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
10. Today, Americans associate Memorial Day with the actual onset of summer.
11. On the weekend before Memorial Day (and along with the holiday itself there are as many as 3 days), it is customary to go with your family for a picnic, on a trip, participate in sports competitions, and organize charity events.
12. But the Americans do not forget the origins of the holiday - on this day they still decorate the graves and plant flags on them, remembering the exploits of American soldiers.
13. Nonetheless, various political groups have repeatedly submitted bills to Congress to fix an official (non-floating) date for Memorial Day.
14. With the passage of time and the distance of events that caused the creation of the holiday, it is increasingly perceived by the new generation as just part of a three-day weekend.
15. Some states have additional commemoration days. For example, in Texas it is January 19, in Florida and Alabama - April 26, in South Carolina - May 10, in Louisiana - June 3.
16. The holiday is celebrated on the last Monday in May when it gets warmer and schools and universities close for summer holidays. For Americans, Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. Many take part in parades, go to the beach, or have picnics with family and friends.
17 Participants in the parade in the form of soldiers from the American Revolutionary War perform in the parade.
18. Soldier's boots at the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, on the black granite walls of which are carved the names of more than 58 thousand Americans who died during the Vietnam War.
19. US Marines in front of the illuminated American flag in Times Square in New York during the celebration of Fleet Week. Fleet Week has been held in New York City since 1984 to honor the United States Navy and the Marine Corps. In normal years, Fleet Week ends on Memorial Day with an air parade honoring US military personnel who have been killed.
20. A family at a Memorial Day picnic outside Vicksburg National Cemetery in Vicksburg, Mississippi, which houses the largest number of graves of participants in the US Civil War in any national cemetery.
21. A soldier of the 3rd US Army Infantry Regiment, often referred to as the "Old Guard", puts a flag on the tombstone of the deceased soldier. The annual flag-planting ceremony takes place at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
22. During the American Civil War, women in the southern states began to gather without any official reason to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers. In April 1886, the women's associations of Columbia and Georgia decided to commemorate the victims once a year. However, there was no single day - the feasts of remembrance in the southern states were held on different days throughout the spring and early summer. This tradition has been partially preserved today. Nine southern states officially recognize Confederate Memorial Day, and also celebrate the birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and the death of General Thomas "Stonewell" Jackson.
23. After the end of the Civil War, the northerners decided to adopt from the southerners the tradition of commemorating the dead on a certain day. In 1868, General John A. Logan, in his order, declared May 30 to be a memorial day for the more than 620,000 soldiers killed in the Civil War. He called the holiday Decoration Day, because on this day the Americans had to decorate with flowers the graves of those killed in the war, "whose bodies now lie in almost every city and village cemetery." According to legend, Logan chose May 30 because it was a rare day that did not fall on the anniversary of any Civil War battle, although some historians believe this date was chosen because flowers are in full bloom across the country these days.
24. Following the edict of John A. Logan, the graves at Arlington Cemetery were decorated for the first time on May 30, with more than five thousand people attending the ceremony. In 1873, New York became the first state in America to officially recognize this holiday. In 1890 it was recognized by all northern states, but the southern states still tried to show their hostility, and commemorated their dead on other dates. This misunderstanding lasted about 50 years until the start of the First World War, then this day was proclaimed the day of honoring those killed in all wars.
25.Since 1971, when America was deeply involved in the Vietnam War, Memorial Day has officially become a national US holiday. Only then did the holiday get its current name and from Decoration Day became Memorial Day. Then the holiday was made "floating" - it began to be celebrated on the last Monday of May. This decision was not without controversy - groups of veterans were worried that the long weekend would distort the essence of the holiday and turn it into just a day of relaxation. Many organizations are still lobbying for a return to the May 30 celebration.
26. The holiday has its own traditions and rituals. On this day, American flags are lowered until noon, and after that they are raised up the flagpoles. In 2000, the US Congress passed a law requiring the entire country to honor the dead with a minute of silence at 3 pm.
22. During the American Civil War, women in the southern states began to gather without any official reason to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers. In April 1886, the women's associations of Columbia and Georgia decided to commemorate the victims once a year. However, there was no single day - the feasts of remembrance in the southern states were held on different days throughout the spring and early summer. This tradition has been partially preserved today. Nine southern states officially recognize Confederate Memorial Day, and also celebrate the birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and the death of General Thomas "Stonewell" Jackson.
23. After the end of the Civil War, the northerners decided to adopt from the southerners the tradition of commemorating the dead on a certain day. In 1868, General John A. Logan, in his order, declared May 30 to be a memorial day for the more than 620,000 soldiers killed in the Civil War. He called the holiday Decoration Day, because on this day the Americans had to decorate with flowers the graves of those killed in the war, "whose bodies now lie in almost every city and village cemetery." According to legend, Logan chose May 30 because it was a rare day that did not fall on the anniversary of any Civil War battle, although some historians believe this date was chosen because flowers are in full bloom across the country these days.
24. Following the edict of John A. Logan, the graves at Arlington Cemetery were decorated for the first time on May 30, with more than five thousand people attending the ceremony. In 1873, New York became the first state in America to officially recognize this holiday. In 1890, it was recognized by all northern states, but southern states still tried to show their hostility, and commemorated their dead on other dates. This misunderstanding lasted about 50 years before the start of the First World War, then this day was proclaimed the day of honoring those killed in all wars.
25.Since 1971, when America was deeply involved in the Vietnam War, Memorial Day has officially become a national US holiday. Only then did the holiday get its current name and from Decoration Day became Memorial Day. Then the holiday was made "floating" - it began to be celebrated on the last Monday of May. This decision was not without controversy - groups of veterans were worried that the long weekend would distort the essence of the holiday and turn it into just a day of relaxation. Many organizations are still lobbying for a return to the May 30 celebration.
26. The holiday has its own traditions and rituals. On this day, American flags are lowered until noon, and after that they are raised up the flagpoles. In 2000, the US Congress passed a law requiring the entire country to honor the dead with a minute of silence at 3 pm.
27. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday.
28. Including 529.5 thousand during the Civil War, 405.4 thousand - World War II, 116.5 thousand - World War I, 58.2 thousand - Vietnam (1964-1973) and 36.6 thousand - Korean War (1950-1953).
29. Every day in the United States die about 1.8 thousand. War veterans, who are buried in 151 national cemeteries.
30. By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day was celebrated almost throughout the country, and after the First World War, on the last Monday in May, they began to commemorate those who died in all armed conflicts with the participation of the United States.
Area 51 has been in the public eye over time through military activities and, obviously, through conspiracies related to aliens.
In recent months, Area 51 has been in the public eye because of interns who planned to storm it. Over time, the area has attracted public attention through the military activities that have taken place here and the conspiracy theories that certain individuals have maintained.
Bemorepanda has created a list of 20 facts about everything you need to know about Area 51.
1. The name
The name Area 51 was given by officials who oversaw nuclear tests in the 1950s and was used on military maps of the region. For these tests was created in the desert, 100 kilometers from Las Vegas, Nevada Test Site, now known as the Nevada National Security Site. In these areas delimited by the military authorities, several hundred nuclear weapons tests took place, of which about 100 took place outdoors.
2. UFOs
To a greater or lesser extent, Area 51 has been in the public eye since the nuclear tests. However, worldwide fame came in the 1980s, when Robert Lazar told a Las Vegas television station that he was working on S-4, a base near Area 51 as part of a flying saucer reverse engineering project. .
When these statements were made public, they sparked a growing interest in the activities taking place in Area 51. However, not long after, the whole story that Robert Lazar built was dismantled. Thus, investigators were able to prove that he did not work at Los Alamos Laboratories and that he had not graduated from MIT or Caltech.
3. Access forbidden
Currently, the US Army uses the Area for aircraft testing and therefore its entire perimeter is continuously patrolled. Colloquially, these guards are called by the locals and the press "camouflaged boys" because of the equipment they use. Unfortunately for the military who are part of these patrols, this activity proves to be extremely dangerous, some of them claiming that they suffer from breathing problems due to the compounds used to make the aircraft "invisible" on radar.
4. Landing
Landing, in turn, has attracted the attention of people interested in conspiracy theories. In a 1974 book, "We Never Went to the Moon: America's Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle," Bill Kaysing argued that all images of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were made in Area 51.
Theories about a false landing have been dismantled over the decades, the only link between Area 51 and the Apollo program is testing some of the space equipment in Nevada.
5. Military base
Area 51 is currently part of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), which is under the authority of the Nellis Base of the United States Air Force. Officials in this part of the US military say the military base covers about 1.2 million hectares.
6. Functions of Area 51
The Nevada Test and Training Range, of which the Area is a part, is used to train military pilots for combat scenarios. In the past, this base has been used to test and design military technologies: airplanes, helicopters and drones. One of the most famous "products" of this base is the U-2 spy plane, used for high altitude espionage.
7. The desert community
While the U.S. military was working on U-2 spy planes, engineer Kelly Johnson proposed building a settlement for the staff working on the project and their families. This place was called Paradise Ranch.
8. Conspiracies
For ufologists and those who believe in various conspiracy theories, Area 51 is proving to be an endless source of mysteries. The truth is that the lack of transparency that military activities and espionage raise is at the source of these conspiracy theories. Naturally, the multitude of resources that the American government allocates to this base and the relative silence regarding the activities that take place there raise a series of questions whose answers can be transformed into conspiracy theories.
According to declassified CIA documents, most of the UFOs that were reported in the area were, in fact, U-2 aircraft under test.
9. Continuous activity
After the U-2 program, Area 51 was used for other military espionage programs. These projects include the Lockheed A-12 Oxcart and D-21 Tagboard aircraft.
Satellite images show that Area 51 is still used today, with the addition of various buildings and facilities to the base. In 2016, images from Google Earth showed that a new runway was built, with security experts believing that it would be used for drones.
10. It is not a tourist attraction
As the last few months have shown, internet users are more than happy to enter the territory of Area 51. However, any attempt to enter the territory of this base is discouraged by the military. Those who enter without permission risk six months in prison and $ 1,000 fines.
11. Soviet engineering
Although there is no evidence that Alien 51 experimented with extraterrestrial technology, documents declassified in 2013 showed that the United States obtained and tested Soviet MiG fighter jets in the 1970s and 1980s.
12.The Roswell phenomenon
However, the public perception that the US government is hiding evidence of alleged extraterrestrial visits to Earth also originated in Roswell, New Mexico, more than 70 years ago.
In July 1947, a flying object made of thin metal foil crashed near a farm in Roswell during a storm. The Air Force quickly picked up the remains on the spot for research. A local newspaper, the Roswell Daily Record, published an article about a "flying saucer" or "flying saucer" found on the farm.
13.The Mogul Project
The Mogul project successfully discovered a nuclear activity of the Russians, until it was closed in 1950. The balloons used were made of polyethylene, according to the Times, a material unknown at the time and which was the basis for the release of meteorological equipment into the atmosphere, later. The balloons were not very suitable for monitoring nuclear explosions, but they proved to be very good for radio communications.
14.U-2 spy plane project
From the documents declassified by the CIA, it results that in the period 1954-1974 two spy plane projects were developed: the U-2 aircraft project and the Oxcart project (construction of the Lockheed A-12 spy planes).
An interesting fact reported by the CIA document on U-2 planes is President Eisenhower's desire to recruit only foreign nationals for espionage missions. In the event of a U.2 plane crash, the US could have denied its involvement in the activity carried out by the respective foreign pilot.
15.Drone program
Area 51 is currently undergoing a program to build new drones, military equipment that has become increasingly in demand by the U.S. military and intelligence services, especially in the war on terror that has followed terrorist attacks in the United States. September 11, 2001. The American drone program came to the fore in 2002, through the tragic event in Yemen, where a drone accidentally killed 13 people who were part of a wedding procession.
16.Existence of Area 51
The US government officially recognized the existence of the base only in 2013, with the publication by the CIA of declassified documents on the U-2 and A-12 reconnaissance and espionage aircraft programs.
17.Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us
The internet has been invaded by Area 51 memes inspired by a joke Facebook event to take over the secretive military site and find the supposed aliens kept inside. The event, called “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us, was planned for Sept. 20, and so far 1.5 million people have signed on.
18.Location of Area 51
The base is huge, covering over 125,000 hectares with at least 22 runways. The land was chosen for its isolated location, and for the large areas of perfectly flat land, which allowed the construction of long tracks, many of them unpaved.
19.The secret around Area 51
The secrecy surrounding Area 51 goes far beyond these proactive measures. In 1994, a group of civilian contractors and their widows filed a lawsuit alleging that they had been exposed to hazardous materials that had been burned in an open ditch. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence after the government refused to publish details of those materials, claiming it would harm national security. This was reinforced by a presidential order signed by Bill Clinton.
20.There is no real fence around area 51
At such a heavily guarded facility by the US military, it would appear that Zone 51 would have a physical boundary to hold citizens. After all, it is not a very safe military installation if you can get through the protected area just by a simple walk.
That's right. Area 51 has no fence at all and we refer to "always". While some of its indoor installations are protected by perimeters, the entire base has no physical boundaries. This does not mean that it is wise to just enter, as there are magnetic sensors and watchtowers in many places that would surely pull you if you try.
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Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day and Emancipation Day, commemorates June 19, 1865, marking the end of slavery in the United States.
Juneteenth is the portmanteau of June and the nineteenth. The day is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States and is celebrated on June 19. It is also known as Emancipation Day or Independence Day in Juneteenth.
On January 1, 1863, then-President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring that all persons held as enslaved people in rebellious states would be released. More than 2.5 years after Lincoln's proclamation, many enslavers continued to hold their slaves captive by hiding this information from them and keeping them slaves for another harvest season, according to the Congressional Research Service.
But first, let’s remember some details about July 4th to move on to Junetheen.
What do Americans celebrate on July 4th?
July 4, 1776, also known as Independence Day, marks the anniversary of the Second Continental Congress at which the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
The congress, made up of delegates from the original 13 colonies in the United States, unanimously approved the document declaring independence from Britain.
The Continental Congress did not vote for independence until July 4. Twelve of the 13 colonies passed a resolution calling for freedom on July 2, 1776.
Many original signatories did not put their names on the Declaration of Independence until August 2, 1776.
The first celebrations of Independence Day
Some Americans began celebrating July 4, the year following the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In a letter to his daughter, former President John Adams wrote that July 4, 1777, was celebrated in Philadelphia "with a celebration and ceremony appropriate to the occasion," according to the Library of Congress, USA Today reports.
But July 4 became widely celebrated by Americans after the war of 1812. Independence Day became the most crucial non-religious holiday for many Americans until the 1870s. Congress passed a law that turned Independence Day into a federal holiday on June 28, 1870.
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson and four other members of the Second Continental Congress, including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston, formed a committee in 1776 to draft a declaration, which would later go through dozens of amendments before being signed by 56 men.
But Jefferson is credited with writing the document we know today, which calls for "inalienable rights," including "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
However, the famous words of the declaration did not apply to all those in the thirteen colonies, such as enslaved people, indigenous peoples, and other groups.
Why are fireworks such an essential part of the holiday?
At the first celebration of the 4th of July in Philadelphia in 1777, the Americans fired their cannon 13 times in honor of the original 13 colonies. Thirteen fireworks were also fired into the city as part of the festivities.
Kate Haulman, an associate professor of history at the American University, said fireworks were part of a public holiday tradition in England, citing Guy Fawkes Day, which commemorates the obstruction of a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
Haulman called the early Independence Day celebrations "a continuation of previous types of political culture, but which became American."
Americans also celebrated with fireworks in the 21st century, with fireworks sales rising in 2020.
What is Juneteenth?
Just two weeks ago, Americans celebrated Juneteenth for the first time as a national holiday.
President Joe Biden signed the law on June 17 that makes Juneteenth or June 19 a new federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery.
Juneteenth, the official name of the federal holiday Juneteenth National Independence Day, also called Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day, is a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, marked annually on June 19 is celebrated on Saturday, writes Encyclopaedia Brit.
In 1863, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared free more than three million slaves living in the Confederate states.
However, it will be more than two years before the news reaches the African-Americans living in Texas. It was not until Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that the people of the state finally learned that slavery had been abolished.
The formerly enslaved people immediately began to celebrate with prayers, songs, and dances.
The following year, on June 19, the first official Juneteenth holidays were held in Texas. Initial celebrations included prayer meetings and religious music, and participants wore new clothes to represent their new freedom.
African Americans in other countries also celebrated the day for a few years, making it an annual tradition.
Holidays continued in the United States until the 21st century and usually include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, music, food, and dance festivals.
Juneteenth became a state holiday in Texas in 1980, and several other states followed suit.
In 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday. The day is also celebrated outside the United States. Organizations in many countries use it to recognize the end of slavery and honor African Americans' culture and achievements.
Juneteenth's legacy
Newly released enslaved people from Texas celebrated the first Juneteenth in 1866, making it the oldest known end of slavery in the United States. Texans have been celebrating the day for over 150 years - my father, born in Houston in the 1940s, remembers celebrating the day in style when he was a child. However, Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, did not become an official holiday in Texas until 1979. It was another 11 years before another state, Florida, followed suit. These days, 49 states and the District of Columbia recognize the day, with Washington and Hawaii passing legislation to commemorate the significance of Juneteenth in April 2021. South Dakota remains abnormal.
What is the difference between Juneteenth and Independence Day?
Juneteenth (officially Juneteenth National Independence Day and Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day) is a federal holiday in the United States that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Аmericans. It is also often seen celebrating African American culture.
Which four states do not celebrate Juneteenth?
Almost every American state recognizes the holiday that marks the end of slavery. Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota are the states that have not yet set the day as a holiday.
Why is it called Juneteenth Freedom Day?
Juneteenth is a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It is also called Emancipation Day or Independence Day in Juneteenth. The name "Juneteenth" refers to the date of the holiday, combining the words "June" and "Zenith."
Why is Juneteenth an important day?
Juneteenth, or "Freedom Day," is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. This holiday is considered "the longest African-American holiday" and has been called "America's Second Independence Day." On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General.
What are the colors for Juneteenth?
The official Juneteenth flag was red, white, and blue, indicating that all enslaved Americans and their descendants were Americans. However, many black communities have adopted the pan-African, red, black, and green flag. The colors represent the blood, the soil, and the prosperity of Africa and its people.
Which state was the last to free the enslaved people?
Mississippi becomes the last state to ratify the 13th Amendment, the official abolition of slavery.
What was the first state to free enslaved people?
In 1780, Pennsylvania became the first state to abolish slavery when it adopted a statute that provided for the freedom of every enslaved person born after its promulgation (once that individual reached the age of majority). Massachusetts was the first to abolish slavery once and for all by court order in 1783.
Is Juneteenth called Independence Day?
The term Juneteenth is a mixture of the words June and XIX. The holiday was also called Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day. Often celebrated at first with picnics and church speeches, the holiday spread across the country and internationally as black Texans moved elsewhere.
How do you explain Juneteenth to a child?
Juneteenth is a holiday that commemorates the freedom of enslaved people in the United States. The name Juneteenth is a combination of the words June and XIX. The day is also called Emancipation Day and Freedom Day.
What did the enslaved people eat?
Weekly rations — usually cornmeal, lard, some meat, molasses, peas, greens, and flour — were distributed every Saturday. Vegetable areas or gardens, if the owner allows them, provide fresh produce to be added to the rations. In the enslaved people's huts, morning meals were prepared and eaten at dawn.
What are you wearing on Juneteenth?
In celebration of the first Juneteenth, the freed people found their freedom to shed the clothes associated with their life as enslaved people. ... A common theme is dressing in red, white, and blue to highlight the "Independence Day for people of color" holiday atmosphere.
What traditional food is served on Juneteenth?
You can't go wrong with southern classics, such as crispy and golden fried chicken and smoked greens. And, of course, a large Cajun gumbo pot with chicken and sausage andouille or red Creole-style jambalaya loaded with chicken, sausage, and shrimp can serve as the main event.
Which companies comply with Juneteenth?
Before Juneteenth became a federal holiday this week, hundreds of companies have already marked the day by recognizing the release of enslaved people after the Civil War. To name a few, Adobe, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, Lyft, Nike, Google, Quicken Loans, Spotify, Target, and Uber launched Juneteenth last year.
Is there a Juneteenth flag?
That flag with a star bursting in the middle is the Juneteenth flag, a symbolic representation of the end of slavery in the United States. The flag is the work of activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Foundation for the Celebration of Youth (NJCF).
Is there still legal slavery in Texas?
Section 9 of the General Provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Texas, ratified in 1836, again legalized slavery in Texas and defined the status of enslaved people and people of color in the Republic of Texas.
Americans and Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving today. Usually an opportunity to reunite with family or friends, this year the holiday is affected by the sanitary measures required by the authorities in an attempt to stop the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are some things you may not know about this holiday.
1. The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in Canada in 1578, when the English sailor Martin Frobisher arrived on Baffin Island with his crew. They celebrated with dinner the fact that they arrived safely at their destination.
2. From 1921 to 1930, Thanksgiving Day was combined with Armistice Day (now Remembrance Day), celebrated on November 11th. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October 1931, except in 1935, when there was a conflict between this holiday and the date of the general election.
3. In 1957, Thanksgiving became a national holiday. The Canadian parliament declared Monday the second of October as a day off to thank "for the abundant harvest with which Canada has been blessed."
4. Although federally recognized, Thanksgiving Day in Canada is not a day off in Prince Edward, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
5. Why is turkey eaten on this day? Nobody knows for sure. There are many theories about how the turkey became the predominant Thanksgiving meal, including the fact that this bird could be easily found and is large enough to feed a family.
6. 20.2 million turkeys are sold annually in Canada, according to Statistics Canada. The data is from 2018. A little over 390 million dollars are the annual revenues made by farms that grow turkeys.
7. On Thanksgiving 2019, 2.5 million whole turkeys were bought by Canadians, the equivalent of 39% of sales during the year, according to the Turkey Association.
8. But Thanksgiving is not the day to eat the most turkey. At Christmas 2019, 2.7 million turkeys were bought by Canadians, equivalent to 42% of annual sales, says the association mentioned above.
9. 64.3% of all cranberries consumed in Canada come from Quebec and 38.9% of apples consumed come from Ontario.
10. The United States celebrates Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. One possible explanation is that the harvest season is earlier in Canada, due to the colder climate than in the United States.
11. At the first Thanksgiving meal, only spoons and knives were used. The reason why the fork was the great absence from the Thanksgiving dinner of 1621 was that the English Puritans had not brought it to American soil in 1620. It came into use only in the seventeenth century.
12. There is a presidential tradition, launched by President Truman in 1947, of sparing the life of a Thanksgiving turkey annually. Over time, tradition has come to count two birds rescued from slaughter by the most powerful man in the United States. Last year, President Obama rescued two birds, named Liberty and Peace, who will die a good death at a special center in Mount Vernon. Let's see this year which turkeys will pass the presidential test of luck.
13. Benjamin Franklin intended to proclaim the turkey as the national symbol of the United States of America. Fortunately for those who prefer the bald eagle, Thomas Jefferson opposed this idea.
14. Thanksgiving is not always celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November (the date set by Abraham Lincoln). In 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt decided to move the holiday to the last Thursday in November, in an attempt to bring it closer to the Christmas shopping season and thus bring more profit to merchants. However, the decision did not enjoy too much popularity from the citizens, being revoked in only 2 years.
15. According to a study by the National Turkey Association, Americans consumed 312,000 kg of turkey meat in 2007, the equivalent of the total weight of Singapore residents. Scary, isn't it?
16. Tradition causes the President of the United States to "grace" a turkey each year. Two are sent to him: one with the function of presidential turkey, the other with the function of vice-president turkey, a "reserve" turkey. If the first turkey fails to fulfill its role, the vice president turkey replaces him.
17. Every year, on Thanksgiving Day, the President of the United States, whether a Democrat or a Republican, makes time for this ceremony. A little funny, a little humor, a little warmth. A small detail through which people approach.
18.Thanksgiving is a day about "together". The children who go to college, hundreds of kilometers away, get in their cars and drive for a meal at home, with their families. With grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins they haven't seen in a long time. Events that bring families together are quite rare in a human life, usually weddings and funerals. But, Thanksgiving is an annual occasion to meet, to say goodbye, to "together". And the king of the Thanksgiving table is the turkey.
19. The turkey is a rock star during Thanksgiving. Everyone's talking about turkey. From cooks to economists.
20. The first national celebration of Thanksgiving in America was declared in 1775 by the Continental Congress. This was to celebrate the victory at Saratoga during the American Revolution. However, it was not an annual event. In 1863, two national days of Thanksgiving were declared.
21. In the seventeenth century, Thanksgiving was just an informal practice that was carried out by local members in which leaders declared when to organize the holiday.
22. Liberia is an African nation located in the western region. The country holds the celebration of Thanksgiving Day on the first Thursday of each month. It began in 1820 after the colonization of Liberia by black slaves freed from the United States.
23.Turkey, corn (or corn), pumpkin and blueberry sauce are symbols that represent the first Thanksgiving. These symbols are often seen on holiday decorations and greeting cards.
24. The use of corn meant the survival of the colonies. Flint corn is often used as a table or door decoration to represent the harvest and autumn season.
25. Sweet-sour blueberry sauce or blueberry jelly, which some historians claim was included in the first Thanksgiving holiday, is still served today. Blueberry is a small, sour berry. It grows in swamps or muddy areas of Massachusetts and other New England states.
26. Indigenous peoples used blueberries to treat infections. They used the juice to paint their carpets and blankets. They taught the settlers how to cook the beans with sweetener and water to make a sauce. Indigenous peoples called it "ibimi" which means "bitter berries". When the settlers saw it, they called it the "grain crane" because the grain flowers bent the stem and resembled the long-necked bird called the crane.
27. Grain is still grown in New England. However, very few people know that before the berries are put in bags to be sent to the rest of the country, each berry must jump at least four inches high to ensure that they are not overripe.
28. In 1988, a Thanksgiving ceremony with over 4,000 people took place at St. John the Divine Cathedral. Among them were the indigenous peoples who represented tribes from all over the country and the descendants of people whose ancestors had migrated to the New World.
29. Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest holiday, shared by English settlers (pilgrims) in Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. The American holiday is particularly rich in legend and symbolism, and the traditional fare of the Thanksgiving meal usually includes turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, blueberries, and pumpkin pie. When it comes to car travel, the holidays are often the busiest of the year, as family members gather together.
30. Days of Thanksgiving in Canada also originated in the colonial period, coming from the same European traditions, in gratitude for safe travel, peace and abundant harvests. The oldest celebration took place in 1578, when an expedition led by Martin Frobisher organized a ceremony today in Nunavut to thank for the safety of its fleet. In 1879, Parliament established a national day of Thanksgiving on November 6; the date has varied over the years. Since 1957, Thanksgiving has been celebrated in Canada on the second Monday in October.
The new mayor of Rabbit Hash, USA, with a population of 426, is Wilbur, a six-month-old French bulldog, NBC News reports.
The village of the American state of Kentucky has a strange tradition of choosing canine candidates, and Wilbur is the last dog elected mayor in this town in the United States of America.
"Rabbit Hash has never had a real person or a man as mayor," Wilbur owner Amy Noland told NBC News.
She said the tradition emerged in the late 1990s when a man thought it "would be a great idea to choose an animal, not necessarily a dog, as the mayor of the village" at a fundraiser for the city's history association.
Noland states that the village has a thriving community of canine lovers, she being one of them. The woman revealed
The woman revealed that she has two more adopted dogs besides the French bulldog, but that Wilbur is an "anomaly" because he is registered as thoroughbred. "He was so nice," Noland explains.
The owner of the 6-month-old puppy claims that she registered Wilbur in the election race due to "all the negative news from all over America, and the presidential election, and Covid-19, so I wanted Wilbur to be something positive in the media."
Rabbit Hash had five more dogs as mayor since the first, Goofy. The last one, a pit bull named Brynn, was mayor between 2016 and 2020.
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