History.com Delivers Interactive Resource on the History of Thanksgiving

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - November 13, 2007) - Each year on the fourth Thursday of November, millions of Americans gather together with family and friends for a Thanksgiving feast. But when did our food-filled Holiday originate and did the first Thanksgiving feat even have a turkey? History.com's Thanksgiving website is filled with turkey day trivia revealing the true history and traditions of this popular holiday.

Highlights of the History.com's Thanksgiving Day Web site, available at http://www.History.com/thanksgiving, includes:

-- Mayflower Myths

Did you know that Thanksgiving wasn't always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November? The first feast in 1621 took place sometime between September 21 and November 11 and lasted for 3 days!

-- Pilgrim Interviews

On the History.com Web site you can listen to descriptions of what life was like on Plimouth Plantation, the first feast and the relationship between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians.

-- The Pilgrims' Menu

The first Thanksgiving Day feast was held in 1621 by the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians who shared an autumn harvest feast. Unlike our traditional Thanksgiving meals of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob and cranberry sauce, the colonists and Indians enjoyed rich meals of lobster, seal and swan.

-- Proclamation of Thanksgiving

It wasn't until November 1, 1782 that an official proclamation for a general Thanksgiving was received from the Continental Congress. The proclamation recommended residents of the United States to observe Thursday, the 28th of November, as, "a day of solemn Thanksgiving to God."

History.com's Thanksgiving feature also includes a variety of other facts and historical accounts, including an array of videos on Thanksgiving history, the Mayflower Ship crossing, the pilgrim settlement and Plymouth Rock. In addition visitors can learn about the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

"History.com provides a fun and dynamic place for people to learn about historically significant people, places and things," said Dr. Libby O'Connell, senior vice president, corporate outreach and chief historian, AETN. "We are committed to providing our users with content-rich resources to learn about the holidays they love, and the Thanksgiving Day Web site demonstrates this commitment."

For more information on the Thanksgiving holiday, check out http://www.History.com/thanksgiving.

About History.com

History.com is the definitive historical online resource that delivers entertaining and informative content through interactive timelines; video; maps; games; podcasts and RSS feeds.History.com delivers thousands of video streams, from presidential speeches, to UFO sightings, to D-Day, the award-winning site will showcase newly created video clips daily. Web exclusive broadband video content has been developed from popular series and specials on The History Channel including Modern Marvels, Digging for the Truth, and Lost Worlds. Search through History.com which provides access to an extraordinary amount of historical information with unprecedented speed. In addition, an online classroom will supply educational resources including study guides and lesson plans for teachers. The website is located at http://www.History.com/.

About The History Channel®

The History Channel® is a leading cable television network featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy® Awards, ten News and Documentary Emmy® Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History® campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 95 million Nielsen subscribers.

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