The Pilgrim's Thanksgiving feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 1. It lasted three days and included 50 surviving pilgrims and approximately 90 Wampanoag Indians, including Chief Massasoit. Their menu differed from modern Thanksgiving dinners and included berries, shellfish, boiled pumpkin, and deer.  

Sarah Joseph Hale (1788-1879), who tirelessly worked to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday, also was the first person to advocate women as teachers in public schools, the first to advocate day nurseries to assist working mothers, and the first to propose public playgrounds. She was also the author of two dozen books and hundreds of poems, including "Mary Had a Little Lamb".  

In 1920, Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia held a parade with about 50 people and Santa Claus bringing up the rear. The parade is now known as the IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade and is the nation's oldest Thanksgiving Day parade.  

Thanksgiving football games began with Yale versus Princeton in 1876.