Americans are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, the middle entry in the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Winter holidays trifecta. Plate up with some table talk about the origins of the holiday, the reason we eat turkey, and what really makes people so sleepy after the annual meal. Extra fixings: all stories contain free links to the supporting academic research on JSTOR. Happy Thanksgiving!
The Great American Turkey
November 27, 2024
The turkey was semi-domesticated and kept in pens in the American Southwest some 2,000 years ago—but not for the reason you think.
Translating Corn
November 22, 2023
To most of the world, “corn” is “maize,” a word that comes from the Taíno mahizwas. Not for British colonists in North America, though.
The Modern Invention of Thanksgiving
November 26, 2014
Thanksgiving as we know it was deliberately invented in the nineteenth century.
What Does Thanksgiving Look Like in Prison?
November 23, 2021
Our American Prison Newspapers collection provides a peek at Thanksgiving celebrations in prisons throughout the decades.
Seven Things You Might Not Know About Cranberries
November 21, 2018
They're red, tart, and mostly eaten at Thanksgiving. Love them or hate them, here are seven things you might not have known about the humble cranberry.
Thanksgiving Is a Feast of Things Forgotten
November 22, 2016
Thanksgiving is a feast so complex and semiotically dense that things are very often forgotten and rarely go according to plan.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dates Back to the 1900s
November 25, 2019
Tofu Turkey was created in 1990, but some Americans celebrated Thanksgiving with veggie dishes over a century ago.
Editor’s Note: This story is updated periodically. It was last updated on November 21, 2025.
