11 things you may not have known about Thanksgiving

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

We all know that the first Thanksgiving dinner took place when the Pilgrims celebrated a good harvest in the New World, and that the tryptophan in turkey isn't actually what makes you so sleepy. 

But did you know that there was a crisis in the late 1930s called "Franksgiving?" 

We rounded up 11 of the best facts about Thanksgiving, which might come in handy during those awkward silences at the family dinner table. 

Asta Thrastardottir contributed reporting on an earlier version of this article.

1. There are three places in the US named Turkey.

Three small towns in America are named after the nation's favorite bird.

There is Turkey, Texas; Turkey, North Carolina; and Turkey Creek, Louisiana, according to the US Census Bureau. Turkey, Texas, is the most populated, with 421 residents. 

There are also two townships in Pennsylvania called Upper Turkeyfoot and Lower Turkeyfoot.

2. The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade used live animals from the Central Park Zoo.

The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York took place in 1914 when Macy's employees dressed in vibrant costumes and marched to the flagship store on 34th Street. 

The parade used floats instead of balloons, and it featured monkeys, bears, camels, and elephants, all borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. It was also originally called the Macy's Christmas Parade, but was renamed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927. 

3. "Jingle Bells" was originally a Thanksgiving song.

James Pierpoint composed the song in 1857 for children celebrating Thanksgiving. The title was "One Horse Open Sleigh," and it was such a hit that it was sung again at Christmas.

The song quickly became associated with the Christmas holiday season, and the title was officially changed in 1859, two years later.