Most of us can’t imagine Thanksgiving without the turkey, I mean what else would our families gather around and talk football? But, turkey wasn’t always part of the feast, nor was the feast.

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the devout settlers at Plymouth Rock who at the time would have recognized “giving thanks” through prayer and fasting. The feast came to be because the Native Americans contributed parts of their harvest traditions (dancing, games, and feasting) to the celebration.

But, the first feast still wasn’t a turkey with all the trimmings. Many accounts show that the meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, far from today's traditional Thanksgiving feast. It wasn’t until a lady by the Name of Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the Godly Lady’s Book, campaigned for an annual national thanksgiving holiday that the modern Thanksgiving began to take shape of how we know and celebrate.

And that’s your quick lesson in Thanksgiving history.

Happy Turkey Day!