As we grow older we tend to lose touch with certain parts of our memories. At least that's a nice way of saying, the older we get, the more we forget. As the old gray matter gets clogged with so much constant input and so much energy required to keep the logical side of the brain and the irrational in check, we forget the darndest things, like historical dates, the exact order of the U.S. Presidents, the phone numbers of relatives and business associates, and things like that. Then Lo and Behold, we forget things like whether the Pilgrims celebrated their first Thanksgiving at Jamestown or Plymouth Rock? That Tiny Tim tip-toed through tulips, not the gardenias; that it was a cowboy who discovered the first crashed flying saucer in the New mexico desert and not the U.S. government, who is still covering it up - or not. Well, to set the record straight for all you movers, shakers, and memory losers, it may not have been the pilgrims who celebrated the first European Thanksgiving in the Americas. But that's a story all to itself and you can find it elsewhere on this Web site, but when it comes to the pilgrims at least, I bet you didn't know that chances are good they didn't even roast up a turkey for that first special day. In a mild attempt to set the record straight, with every intent of eliminating Urban legends about the Great American holiday, we surfed around the Web, yes, including Wikipedia, and tried to assemble a collection of what we believe to be facts about the Thanksgiving holiday. So as you pull the leg off that roasted bird this year you might remember how it all started, Have fun with this and quiz your holiday guests. You'll be a star! To start things off, as mentioned above, it may have been a Spanish exploratory party out of Mexico that actually staged the first European Thanksgiving observance in America near the banks of the Rio Grande River near where El Paso was later founded. Read all about that daring adventure here. But concentrating on the more traditional tale of Thanksgiving, the story of the Pilgrims at Jamestown (or was it on the Rock?), it becomes apparent that the number one reason for these hearty pioneers wanting to leave England and other lands of the  Old World, was because of religious persecution. The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church. They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly and even pagan. It seems these first Pilgrims were rather a fundementalist group, and they didn't mix well with others. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to the New World. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the company's interests. Only about one-third of the original colonists were actually Separatist members. The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock in early December, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed with them. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one, and the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast inviting a group of Native Americans who had helped them survive through the harshness of the first year. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true "thanksgiving" observance, and it lasted for three days. Governor William Bradford sent "four men fowling" after wild ducks and geese in preparation of the celebration. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast or not, but many specultae it was not. However, it is certain that they had venison and other types of fowl. Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included it. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly- discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums. This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated the following year. But in 1623, during a severe drought, the pilgrims gathered in a prayer service, praying for rain. When a long, steady rain followed the very next day, Governor Bradford proclaimed another day of Thanksgiving, again inviting their Indian friends. It wasn't until June of 1676 that another Day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed. On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that this thanksgiving celebration probably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly to be in recognition of the colonists' recent victory over the "heathen natives". October of 1777 marked the first time that all 13 colonies joined in a thanksgiving celebration. It also commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga. But it was a one-time affair. George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, although some were opposed to it. There was discord among the colonies, many feeling the hardships of a few Pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea of having a day of thanksgiving. It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after Lincoln. The date was changed a couple of times, most recently by Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in order to create a longer Christmas shopping season. Public uproar against this decision caused the president to move Thanksgiving back to its original date two years later. And in 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November. And now you know the rest of the story.