00:00 Thanksgiving is a secular holiday with religious overtones that originated in the Americas and has spread to other countries, and it has unique traditions not shared with other holidays.

01:49 The first Thanksgiving in 1621 was likely not the first Thanksgiving in North America, and the event was not referred to as Thanksgiving in any written accounts of the colony.

03:28 The first Thanksgiving was more of a harvest festival than a Thanksgiving, and it was not the love fest between pilgrims and natives that it has been portrayed as.

05:10 The creation of Thanksgiving as an organized holiday didn't occur until after the Revolutionary War, with the First Continental Congress issuing a proclamation for a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1777, and it continued through the Presidencies of Washington and Adams, but stopped under Jefferson due to his belief in the separation of church and state, until finally, 36 years later, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November 1863.

06:43 Thanksgiving traditions include eating turkey, which became associated with the holiday because it was native to North America, large enough to feed a feast, and easier to eat in the fall.

08:15 Football became a tradition on Thanksgiving Day, with the NFL playing their first Thanksgiving game in 1920 and the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys becoming regular teams to play on Thanksgiving since the 1930s and 1960s, respectively.

09:43 Thanksgiving is not exclusive to the United States, as it is also celebrated in Canada, Norfolk Island (Australia), Japan, and Liberia, making it a unique holiday that is not tied to religion, nationalism, or a specific person.