Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U.S.A. on the fourth Thursday in November. It is an important holiday, with origins that can be traced back to the early days of the country.
In 1620, a group of travelers from England landed in part of modern-day Massachusetts in the early part of December. Their first winter was a very hard one: almost half of them became sick and died. Their next year was better because a group of Native Americans helped them. Because the settlers were thankful for a very good harvest in the fall,
they decided to have a feast--both for themselves and for their Native American helpers. The feast lasted three days, but it was not repeated the next year. In fact, Thanksgiving Day wasn't declared an official national holiday until 1789, and at first, it was not very popular. It began to be popular in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared that Thanksgiving Day would be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. This date was changed several times and did not become a national legal holiday until 1941.
The ISALC Fall 2001 Pumpkin Party
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Newsletter Joke Two men on safari come across a pride of lions who start eyeing them hungrily from a "safe" distance. Sean reaches into his backpack, pulls out a pair of running shoes, and starts putting them on hurriedly. Patrick turns to him and laughingly says, "Don't be silly Sean, you'll never outrun a lion!!" "No," says Sean, "but I'll outrun you!!!!!!!" |
