Thanksgiving is full of numbers -- some big, some astonishing. For example, this Thanksgiving Americans will eat an estimated 46 million turkeys. That's a lot of bird.
The numbers that make Thanksgiving —
Thanksgiving is full of numbers -- some big, some astonishing. For example, this Thanksgiving Americans will eat an estimated 46 million turkeys. That's a lot of bird.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
To get to those Thanksgiving dinners, 46.3 million people are estimated to be traveling. Is it just a coincidence that the number of travelers and the number of turkeys are almost identical?
The numbers that make Thanksgiving —
To get to those Thanksgiving dinners, 46.3 million people are estimated to be traveling. Is it just a coincidence that the number of travelers and the number of turkeys are almost identical?
George Frey/Getty Images/File
You can thank this woman, Sarah Josepha Hale, for leading the drive to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Hale spent 36 years on her crusade before Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the Thanksgiving holiday in 1863.
The numbers that make Thanksgiving —
You can thank this woman, Sarah Josepha Hale, for leading the drive to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Hale spent 36 years on her crusade before Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the Thanksgiving holiday in 1863.
Kean Collection
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has become a mainstay of the day. The event, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, is typically watched by 50 million people. No word on how many like Hello Kitty.
The numbers that make Thanksgiving —
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has become a mainstay of the day. The event, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, is typically watched by 50 million people. No word on how many like Hello Kitty.
Kena Betancur/Getty Images/File
Other mainstays of Thanksgiving Day are the annual NFL games, traditionally featuring the Detroit Lions (pictured against the Green Bay Packers) and the Dallas Cowboys. The NFL Thanksgiving Day game has been played since 1920.
The numbers that make Thanksgiving —
Other mainstays of Thanksgiving Day are the annual NFL games, traditionally featuring the Detroit Lions (pictured against the Green Bay Packers) and the Dallas Cowboys. The NFL Thanksgiving Day game has been played since 1920.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/File
Be prepared to exercise: The Calorie Control Council says the average person will eat 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving this year. That's 3,000 for dinner and another 1,500 for "snacking and nibbling" -- a nice way of saying "all the food you'll eat while waiting for the turkey to cool."
The numbers that make Thanksgiving —
Be prepared to exercise: The Calorie Control Council says the average person will eat 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving this year. That's 3,000 for dinner and another 1,500 for "snacking and nibbling" -- a nice way of saying "all the food you'll eat while waiting for the turkey to cool."
Thinkstock/Photo Illustration
And then, the next day, it's time to hit the mall for Black Friday (assuming you haven't gone Thursday night). Good luck getting a parking space: 92.1 million people reportedly went shopping on Black Friday in 2013.
The numbers that make Thanksgiving —
And then, the next day, it's time to hit the mall for Black Friday (assuming you haven't gone Thursday night). Good luck getting a parking space: 92.1 million people reportedly went shopping on Black Friday in 2013.
PA PHOTOS/LANDOV/File
The numbers that make Thanksgiving

Story highlights

How many pounds of turkey will you cook this Thanksgiving?

It took 36 years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday

Almost 80% look forward to the leftovers more than the main meal

CNN  — 

2 –The ranking of Thanksgivingon the list of America’s favorite holidays. Christmas is No. 1.

2 – The maximum number of days the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests keeping a fresh turkey before cooking it.

2.5 – The number in miles of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade available for public viewing.

4 – Americans celebrate Thanksgiving every year on the fourth Thursday of November.

5-5.5–The number of hours it takes to cook a stuffed 22- to 24-pound turkey in an oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

11-12– The number of hoursit takes to thaw a frozen 22- to 24-pound turkey in cold water. Compare that with the 5½ to six days it takes to thaw in the refrigerator.

17 –Ridges on a 14-ounce can of Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce.

36 – The number of years it took magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale to crusade for an annual Thanksgiving holiday. National and local days of thanksgiving had been celebrated over the years, but President Abraham Lincoln finally proclaimed the fourth Thursday in November Thanksgiving in 1863.

46 million–The estimated number of turkeys eaten in the United States on Thanksgiving 2012.

46.9 million–The estimated number of Americans who will be traveling more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving in 2015, according to AAA.

50 million –The approximate number of people who typically watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on television.

68 – The number of years between 1947, the first National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation at the White House, and Thanksgiving 2015.

74 – The number of years between 1941, when Congress decided that the fourth Thursday in November would be observed as Thanksgiving Day and a federal legal holiday, and Thanksgiving 2015.

79– Percentage of Americans surveyed who said eating Thanksgiving leftovers is more important than eating their regular Thanksgiving meal.

88 – The approximate percentage of Americans who eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day, according to a National Turkey Federation survey.

91 – The number of years between 1924, when the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took place, and Thanksgiving 2015. It was originally called the Macy’s Christmas Parade.

95 – The number of years between the first NFL Thanksgiving Day games in 1920 and Thanksgiving 2015.

152– The number of years between October 3, 1863, when Lincoln proclaimed a national annual Thanksgiving Day, and Thanksgiving 2015.

226 – The number of years between 1789, when President George Washington issued a proclamation naming November 26 a day of national thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving 2015.

394 – The number of years between 1621, when the first Thanksgiving was observed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Thanksgiving 2015. A good harvest led Plymouth ColonyGov. William Bradford to plan a festival to give thanks. Around 90 Native Americans attended.

4,500–The average number of calories you might consume on Thanksgiving, according to the Calorie Control Council. That’s 3,000 for the meal, and another 1,500 for snacking and nibbling.

100,000-plus– Questions typically answered by the Butterball Turkey hotline every November and December.

135.8 million– Estimated Thanksgiving weekend shoppers in 2015.

237.5 million– The number of turkeys raised in the United States in 2014.