I think it's safe to say that 2020 has been a doozy for all of us in one way or another. As many Americans gathered around their tables on Thursday, November 26th, to celebrate and enjoy being with each other, and many of them did not, I'm sure we all experienced a bittersweet feeling rather than the bounteous joy that usually accompanies such gatherings. Lately I've been reflecting on things that I am grateful for even though this year brought its own unique challenges to my life. One thing I'm especially grateful for is readers like you who support us authors. Writing for entertainment can be an entertaining endeavor in itself, but sometimes stressful, too, and this year it has been especially so. Along with that, I am also grateful to have received the inspiration I needed several times in order to finish a project on time. I am also grateful for my loved ones and pray that your loved ones are safe or that you'll find comfort if they have met misfortune this holiday season.
Notwithstanding these somber thoughts, however, I want to keep this blog post lighthearted and, yes, entertaining. I've put together a short and sweet Thanksgiving Quiz for you - don't worry, I've also provided the answers. And this isn't just a history quiz - as much as I like history, I thought it would be fun to learn a few things about Thanksgiving in this day and age (mostly). So here we go!
1) Which U.S. state grows the most corn?
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Answer: Iowa, with Illinois being a close second. This was a fun fact to look up because a few years ago, I traveled through parts of both of these states and saw cornfield after cornfield. Arizona (where I'm from) grows a decent amount of corn, too, but what I saw on that trip was on a whole new level. And even though it was just corn (as compared to a natural wonder like the Grand Canyon), the sight of all that corn against the backdrop of a perfectly blue sky brought to mind the song lyrics, "amber waves of grain". I'm thankful I got to see such a great sight!
2) Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving?
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Answer: According to Brittanica, the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock most likely ate duck or geese at their harvest meal. Turkey, it seems, was introduced as the bird to eat in the early 1800s with the publication of Northwood, a book written by female novelist, essayist, and editor, Sarah Josepha Hale. She is remarkable for the fact that she became an editor after her husband died. She became the top influencer in the publication for ladies called Godey's Lady's Book. In 1830, she also penned a book called Poems for our Children. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was one of the poems in that collection. Anyway, Hale's book, Northwood, described in quite fascinating detail a Thanksgiving meal that featured a turkey. She eventually campaigned for Thanksgiving to be made into a national holiday, as she felt that such an event would help to ease mounting tensions in the country. (Sound familiar?) Of course, this didn't happen until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday in the month of November as a day of prayer and thanksgiving. Here is a picture of Mrs. Hale. Wasn't she lovely?
3) Which U.S. state grows the most pumpkins?
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Answer: Illinois, with Morton, Illinois being called the "Pumpkin Capital of the World". States like Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California aren't far behind. However, globally, China is the real pumpkin capital of the world in that it produces the most, followed by India, Russia, Ukraine, and finally, the United States.
4) Why does the President of the United States pardon a turkey every year?
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Answer: The first unofficial pardon of a turkey came from President Ronald Reagan back in 1982. President George H. W. Bush decided it made for pretty good press, apparently, so he did the same. From there, the successive presidents have all carried on the tradition.
5) What is the record for the world's largest pumpkin pie?
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Answer: New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers produced a pie that weighed 3,699 pounds on September 10, 2010, in New Bremen, Ohio. But if you're looking for who produced the world's largest sweet potato pie, you'll have to travel all the way to Japan. According to this article, Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company produced a massive 703-pound sweet potato pie in 2018. That's a lot of pie!
6) Which U.S. state consumes the most turkey?
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Answer: California. Go figure.
7) How many feathers does an adult male turkey have?
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Answer: Approximately 5,500. That's a lot of plucking before the bird gets to your dinner table!
8) What is the longest-running Thanksgiving parade in the United States? (Hint: not Macy's)
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Answer: Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Parade celebrated its 100th year this month. Macy's in New York City began four years later, in 1924. Did you know that the balloons in Macy's parade have to be painted once they are blown up? Here are two articles that share fun facts about each of the parades:
Philadelphia: https://whyy.org/articles/looking-back-on-the-nations-oldest-thanksgiving-day-parade-at-100/
Macy's: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71548/16-fun-facts-about-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade
I hope you've enjoyed this informal and informational quiz. I certainly learned a lot while putting this blog post together! And that's one of my favorite things about being an author. I come across interesting tidbits all the time. (For instance, I recently wrote a contemporary story that takes place in Georgia with the series title being called Georgia Peaches, but did you know that California is actually the U.S.'s leading peach crop producer?)
Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday, there's one thing that I think we can all be grateful for this holiday season, and it is that fictional characters get a happily ever after. If you are in the mood to read stories with characters who dream of a better life and face the odds in obtaining them, I invite you to take a look at my Amazon page and view the stories that I have to offer. A few of them are even on sale at this time, and all of my Belles of Wyoming stories have updated covers. Here is the link to my page: https://amzn.to/2GKnBUA
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
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