The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted three days.


So, I'll go with 1621.

Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums.


I'll go with potatoes.

The Cornucopia or "cornu Copiae" is, literally, the horn of plenty' and was first
introduced into the English language in 1508. The Cornucopia, which symbolizes
abundance, is usually seen as a curved goat's horn, filled to overflowing with fruit
and grain, but which could be filled with whatever the owner wished.

The Cornucopia has always been associated with Thanksgiving in the United States, though it was a symbol long before this holiday existed. Man has always been thankful for the abundance provided by Nature. The Cornucopia originally came from ancient
Greek mythology and the term is carried on today with a similar meaning.

The oldest account of the origin of the Cornucopia tells that Zeus (Jupiter) was
committed by his mother Rhea to the care of the daughters of Melisseus, a Cretan
king. Amalthea, one of the nurses, hung Zeus in a cradle from a tree, so that he could
be found neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor in the sea. They fed the infant deity with
the milk of a goat. Jupiter broke off one of the horns of the goat and gave it to his
nurses, endowing it with the wonderful power of becoming filled with whatever
the possessor might wish. So the 'Horn of Amalthea' became the symbol
of plenty, and whoever had it in his or her possession would never starve.

The horn of plenty was regarded as the symbol of inexhaustible riches and plenty and
became the attribute of several immortals. Another story tells about the fifth labor of
Hercules. Hercules fought the river-god Achelous, who could take the form of either a
snake or bull. Achelous failed to defeat Hercules as a snake and changed
into a bull. Hercules ripped his horn off and diverted the river. This land became
very fertile, and is a reference to the horn of plenty. Then the Naiads took the horn,
consecrated it, and filled it with fragrant flowers. In the Roman version it was the
Goddess Abundantia who adopted the horn and called it "Cornucopia".


I'll go with Greece

On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that this thanksgiving celebration probably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly to be in recognition of the colonists' recent victory over the "heathen natives,"

Let's try June.

I think that Sparky needs glasses!

What president didn't like the idea of having a national Thanksgiving Day?
Washington
Nixon
Truman
Jefferson

So....how is the Boy's Report on Thanksgiving going Web?

Correct


ho is credited with leading the crusade to establish Thanksgiving Day?
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Lee
Sarah Josepha Hale
Sarah Ferguson

It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.


^ Sarah Josepha Hale





-- Edited by WebGuy at 11:13, 2006-11-22

This one was answered above: "Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving."


That would be Lincoln