By the Numbers: Thanksgiving

2

The ranking of Thanksgiving on the list of America’s favorite holidays. Christmas is No. 1.

3

Number of days of the first harvest feast held by the Plymouth colony in 1621.

36

The number of years magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale advocated for a national Thanksgiving holiday before President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the national holiday in 1863.

65

Percentage of Americans surveyed who said Thanksgiving leftovers are more important than the regular Thanksgiving meal.

143

Number of attendees at the first harvest feast – 53 colonists and 90 Wampanoag Indians.

1920

The year of the first Thanksgiving Day NFL games.

4,500

The average number of calories you might consume on Thanksgiving – 3,000 for the meal and another 1,500 in snacking and nibbling.

46 million

Number of turkeys expected to be consumed this Thanksgiving.

Source: Calorie Control Council, National Turkey Federation, Plimoth Plantation, Pro Football Hall of Fame