Follow the history of Thanksgiving, from 1541 to 2001, in the Thanksgiving Timeline linked from the American Memory Learning Page.
As for the rest of the turkeys doomed to a fate of cranberry sauce, candied yams and green-bean casserole, Americans pile their plates high and look forward to subsequent meals of turkey sandwiches, soup, casserole – you name it. Some like white meat, others prefer dark meat. In a turkey, the active muscles such as the legs store a lot of oxygen and become dark, while less active muscles like the breast remain white. This revelation and more can be found on the Everyday Mysteries page of the Library’s Science, Technology and Business Division reference service.
A. Thanksgiving - taking home turkeys from raffle, Nov. 22, 1912. SUMMARY: Rear view of 3 men, each carrying a turkey over his shoulder, on road. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction information: Reproduction No.: LC-USZ62-70874 (b&w film copy neg.); Call No.: LOT 10932 [item] [P&P]
B. Family at dinner table, Thanksgiving, between 1880 and 1925. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction information: Reproduction No.: LC-USZC4-1206 (color film copy transparency); Call No.: CAI - Penfield, no. 36 (B size) <P&P> [P&P]