NOVEMBER 2026

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

-Fun Facts About Turkey Day-

By Rev Protodeacon George A. Haloulakos

Thanksgiving is truly a wonderful Holiday as families and friends gather together in the spirit of Love and Gratitude for all of God's Blessings.  As we prepare to kick off the Holiday Season, we invite you, members of our wonderful Galaxy Nostalgia Network (GNN) audience, to share your own special memories by either posting to the GNN FACEBOOK page or perhaps writing to us directly.  As you reflect upon treasured Thanksgiving memories and prepare to make new ones, we thought it might be fun to take a whimsical approach this month by sharing some fun facts or trivia about Turkey Day.  The idea is to share such information as a way of starting a fun conversation that will help create a light, festive feeling with friends, family and when meeting new people.  With that in mind, here are some fun facts that explain how Thanksgiving became a National Holiday, how NFL football became a Thanksgiving Day tradition and the origin of Presidential pardon of turkeys.

> Thanksgiving as a National Holiday -- During the Civil War on October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.  Thereafter, US Presidents continued to annually issue national proclamations of thanksgiving.  However, it was not until World War II (1941) that Congress passed a joint resolution (signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on December 26, 1941) which officially designated Thanksgiving as a Federal Holiday and set the date as the fourth Thursday of November.

> NFL Football: Turkey & Pigskin -- The NFL since its 1920 inception has played games on Thanksgiving Day patterned on the college football tradition of playing games on or around the November holiday.  The most notable games are hosted by the Detroit Lions (beginning in 1934) and Dallas Cowboys (starting in 1966).  The Lions started their tradition by leveraging the connection that the team's owner (George Richards) had with his equity stake in a regional radio station having a nationwide reach by virtue of its strategic alliance with forerunners to major TV and radio broadcasting networks.  The Cowboys historically have been known as the perhaps the best brand-builders in all of professional sports, and for a franchise that had been formed six years earlier (1960) hosting an annual Thanksgiving game proved to be a winning move right from the start.  There have been lots of memorable Thanksgiving Day contests involving both organizations.  Among the most notable are the Lions upsetting the undefeated (10-0) Green Bay Packers 26-14 for their lone defeat in 1962.  Although the Packers were the eventual NFL Champions that season, this game has forever been known as the "Thanksgiving Day Massacre" as the Lions defense sacked Packer quarterback Bart Starr 11 times!  For the Cowboys, the 1974 victory over the Washington Redskins is legendary.  Despite losing quarterback Roger Staubach early in the contest due to injury and falling behind 16-3, the Cowboys staged a 4th quarterback rally led by untested and unknown backup quarterback Clint Longley to pull out a surprising 24-23 victory on a long pass with 28 seconds remaining in the game!

> Presidential Pardon of Turkeys -- While various US Presidents, starting with Abraham Lincoln, pardoned turkeys from slaughter from time to time, it did not become an official tradition until the 1980s.  President Ronald Reagan is credited with being the first president to use the word "pardon" in regards to a turkey.  However, it was in 1989 that President George H.W. Bush sanctioned clemency on Thanksgiving and jokingly referred to the turkey as having received an official pardon.  The term stuck and this annual tradition of granting an official pardon by the sitting US president continues to this day!

So whether you have a serious or passing interest in American history, NFL football or Presidential trivia, these fun facts are sure to bring a smile to others and perhaps initiate a friendly discourse during this most blessed Holiday.  From our homes to yours, we at the Galaxy Nostalgia Network wish all of you and those you have in mind, a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Note:  All photos are from the public domain.