The tryptophan-packed turkey wasn’t the star during the first Thanksgiving—and that’s not the only thing that’s changed in the nearly 400 years since the holiday began.
Much is unknown about the first recorded feast between the Pilgrims and Native Americans in the New World at Plymouth in 1621, as historians have heavily relied on only two primary eyewitness accounts. But while a good meal is a constant, it’s clear that the original festival doesn’t have all that much in common with the all-American holiday recognized today, with its focus on football and, more recently, shopping.
