Just in for Thanksgiving, here’s a list of famous myths about Thanksgiving. I don’t have space to list the truth behind the stories, but you can read them at Kevin Orlin Johnson’s web site. (The server was down when I posted this.)
- Irritating Myth #1: The Plymouth colonists celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 after their first winter killed nearly half of them. Gov. William Bradford decreed a feast for prayer and celebration.
- Irritating Myth #2: President George Washington named Nov. 26 a day of national thanksgiving and prayers for blessings.
- Irritating Myth #3: In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as “a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father.”
- Irritating Myth #4: In 1941, Congress proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as the official federal holiday to give thanks.
At first, some of the “truths” opposed to the “myths” seem like hairsplitting, but it’s good to be precise. Yeah, I’m that guy who always responds to the stories making the rounds of email with a link to the Urban Legends web site.
