Americans have been celebrating Thanksgiving for longer than there has been a United States, and they’ve been recording the event in drawings, paintings, and photographs for nearly as long. Over the decades, the fashion and food has changed, but the tradition of giving thanks with family, friends, and other loved ones has been a constant. Take a look back at Thanksgivings through the years.
Related: Forget These Thanksgiving Myths
1850s
Postcards and greeting cards were just becoming popular in the U.S. around the time this witty card was published in the 1850s. Even then, the idea of Thanksgiving as a distinctly American holiday loomed as large as the turkey he’s holding.
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1860s
In the thick of the Civil War, soldiers on both sides of the conflict celebrated Thanksgiving. Then, as now, breaking a turkey wishbone for good luck was considered a post-meal tradition.
Related: Things You Didn’t Know About Turkeys
1890s
Residents of Asheville, North Carolina, gather downtown to gawk at the flock of turkeys that await their fate. No word on where the birds were bound, but we can imagine.
1930s
Actress Joan Crawford appeared in her share of turkeys in Depression-era Hollywood, but regardless of the picture she herself always radiated movie star glamour. Crawford strikes a pose for a different kind of Hollywood turkey in this promotional still from the early 1930s.
Related: Depression-Era Thanksgiving Recipes That Are Actually Delicious
1934
The iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a holiday tradition since 1924, growing more and more elaborate with each passing year. By the mid-1930s, giant balloons shaped like whimsical characters had become the parade’s main attraction.
Related: Fun Facts About the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
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1935
For many, Thanksgiving celebrations were modest affairs during the Great Depression, but the tradition of gathering friends and family together to give thanks endured.
Related: 12 Things We Can Learn From the Great Depression
1942
On Nov. 26, Westminster Abbey in London opened its doors to U.S. soldiers for a nondenominational Thanksgiving celebration of prayers and hymns. It was the first such celebration in the 900-year history of the storied English church.
1948
World War II displaced millions of people, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, and many ended up in the United States as refugees. In 1948, a lucky few children displaced by war got invitations to celebrate Thanksgiving with dinner at Tavern on the Green in New York City.
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1950s
Seminoles in Florida observe Thanksgiving Day with a meal that included wild turkey, venison, and (of course) pie.
1955
Suburban kitchens such as this one may have been relatively new, but hungry kids asking “Is it ready yet?” is as old as Thanksgiving dinner itself.
Related: 25 Betty Crocker-Era Holiday Recipes That We Secretly Love
1961
Popeye the Sailor hovers over Times Square during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
1970s
Nothing says Thanksgiving in the ’70s quite like season-appropriate paper decorations, wood paneling in the kitchen, and harvest gold accents.
Related: Jell-O Salad and Other Old-School Recipes We Secretly Love
1973
Celebrities did Thanksgiving differently from us common folk in the freewheeling ’70s. From left, John Lennon celebrates singer Helen Reddy’s performance at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles on Nov. 21. Also on hand to watch Reddy sing were Lennon’s partner in crime, Harry Nilsson, plus Alice Cooper and Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees.
1974
The NFL played its first Thanksgiving Day game in 1920, and the game has been a tradition ever since. The Dallas Cowboys have been annual participants since 1966. In 1974, behind quarterback Roger Staubach, America’s Team eked out a 24-23 win against Washington.
1980s
Gigantic balloons aren’t the only attraction during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Elaborate floats, some with actors singing and dancing, are just as much a part of the spectacle. Big Bird and his pals from “Sesame Street” were (and are) parade regulars.
1985
Where do all those Thanksgiving turkeys come from? Some come from the Livonia, Michigan, farm of Christine Roperti. Her family started raising the birds in the 1960s and were selling more than 3,000 annually by 1985.
1988
Boxer Mike Tyson rocks the turtleneck as he and promoter Don King celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday by handing out frozen turkeys in New York City on Nov. 17.
1993
Presidents have a long tradition of helping the less fortunate celebrate Thanksgiving. In 1993, President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton pitched in to help prepare a Thanksgiving meal in Washington, D.C.
Related: First Tastes: Favorite Foods of 21 U.S. Presidents
1995
Some characters in the Macy’s annual Thanksgiving parade don’t last more than a single year. Case in point, the quirky Izzy, mascot of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
1999
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without making sure everyone gets fed, no matter where they are. “Friends” star David Schwimmer joined other celebrities to dish out some holiday cheer at the Los Angeles Mission for the Homeless on Nov. 24.
2000
A Thanksgiving tradition since 1981: Butterball’s annual Turkey Talk hotline. In 2000, Phyllis Larson was one of 48 nutritionists and home economists who answered an estimated 170,000 calls during the season. Larson herself was an 11-year veteran of the hotline, which continues to this day.
Related: Deep-Fried Disasters and Other Thanksgiving Mistakes to Avoid
2005
Kathy Curry and her family were one among thousands of New Orleans residents who were still homeless three months after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city. Evacuated to Camp Springs, Maryland, Curry and her family celebrated Thanksgiving in the hotel room that had been their home since leaving Louisiana.
2013
In a festive twist, officers serve enlisted personnel at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia during a Thanksgiving celebration on Nov. 21.
2015
The tradition of presenting the president of the United States with a live Thanksgiving turkey (who is subsequently “pardoned” and spared the chopping black) dates back to at least the 1870s. President Barack Obama carried on the tradition happily.
2018
More than 18,000 Californians were left homeless in the wake of the devastating Camp Fire wildfires, which destroyed the town of Paradise and killed more than 80 people. As evacuees celebrated Thanksgiving in Chico, California, the wildfires continued to burn.
2019
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has traditionally been the start of the holiday shopping season. Cody and William Dunham of Lone Tree, Colorado, scored a deal on a TV.
2020
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Thanksgiving 2020 was marked by a new accessory: face masks. Countless family gatherings were pared back or skipped entirely.
Related: Things We Learned to Live Without in 2020 — And How We Adapted
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