U.S.A. -- "Thank you" to these people for the Thanksgiving meal

The following is written by Guy Heston, who is almost certainly Iowa's Biggest Fan in California.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, let's give a shout out to capitalism, government regulations, hard work and the great state of Iowa.

Millions of Americans will sit down on Thanksgiving Thursday to enjoy the traditional turkey feast involving mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, various family recipe casseroles, cranberry sauce, pies, various in-laws and various football games on television.

The centerpiece of these feasts is of course the turkey, and there are thousands of ideas about the best way to roast, barbecue, smoke or even deep fry said bird. But what if the turkey weren't there? What if you couldn't get a turkey to prepare for your family feast?

Thanksgiving Day -- mental meanderings

Thanksgiving is the American holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of each November.  Why on that date?  Mostly so that people are primed and ready to go for Christmas-time and holiday-time shopping.  Yes, that's the case.  Read on to find out why.

The first Thanksgiving, so the legend tells us, was at Plimoth Plantation, Massachusetts in 1621.  The actual date is a little murky, but it probably took place in October, not in November.  The English settlers, known as Pilgrims or Separatists, who had arrived less than a year earlier aboard the small ship Mayflower were using the occasion of their first harvest to celebrate the simple fact of survival.  The voyage across the Atlantic had been tough, but its rigors were nothing compared to the challenges they encountered on land as they settled in to build themselves a permanent community.  Fortunately, the local natives were friendly and helpful.  Without their assistance, the English Pilgrim settlers--their numbers diminished by half, down to a remaining population of about 50 by the time of the harvest celebration--probably would have all perished.  And so the local Indians were included in the gathering, too.

That's the basic American history lesson; it's well-known.  Not so well-known are a few other factoids: