Mental Floss

THANKSGIVING

Airfares are often cheaper on the holiday itself.

While we can’t promise that your journey to grandma’s house this year will be enjoyable, we know of a few travel tips to make it less stressful.

Always save room for dessert.

See if your favorite holiday treat is on the list.

Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions.

Why do the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always take to the field for a Thanksgiving football game? Because it’s tradition! But how did this tradition begin?

The turkey is always the center of attention on Thanksgiving.

From canned cranberries to the world's largest helping of mac and cheese, these fun food facts will wow your Thanksgiving guests.

Use them while you're talking turkey.

See that crispy texture? That’s the Maillard Reaction.

There’s science behind that seemingly random number.

Can you decipher this twisted tune?

It’s time to play Tune Twist, where we translate the lyrics of popular songs into multiple languages and then back into English. Can you figure out what the song is, or who performed it?

The “Mother of Thanksgiving.”

The history of Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Sarah Josepha Hale, the holiday’s biggest fan.

WKRP Thanksgiving Turkey Drop

In its very first season, ‘WKRP In Cincinnati’ created the greatest Thanksgiving special about a misguided turkey delivery ever made.

Steve Martin and John Candy in ’Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ (1987).

John Hughes’s own hellish trip from New York City to Chicago inspired ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles,’ the 1987 Thanksgiving classic starring Steve Martin and John Candy.

Don’t let sitting in traffic become your holiday experience.

Choosing the wrong time to hit the road can make your Thanksgiving a traffic nightmare. Here’s how to avoid it.

Sandwiches are a traveler’s best friend.

Turkeys and pies are allowable carry-ons, but you’ll have to check alcohol, sauces, and condiments before you board a plane.

The Pilgrims give thanks with no turkey or mashed potatoes in sight.

When the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag shared the first Thanksgiving in 1621, sweet potatoes, apple pie, and turkey were missing from the table.

Burnt to a crisp.

Cooking dinner on Thanksgiving is pressure enough without a calamity derailing the affair. Learn what not to do from these turkey day disasters.

Tuck in.

The first Thanksgiving may not have even had turkey, but it almost certainly had oysters.

Just waiting to ambush you.

Your Thanksgiving turkey is harmless, but the live bird stalking your backyard might not be.

It looks scrumptious.

Nobody likes tough pie crust. Vodka can prevent the issue.

You can give thanks to Zeus for this.

Here's how the cornucopia went from ancient gods to American dinner tables.

A dish of homemade cranberry deliciousness.

Your Thanksgiving cranberry sauce—be it homemade or Ocean Spray’s canned classic—is all part of America’s history.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - Food

Before diving into Christmas content, don't forget to add these fun Thanksgiving movies to your watchlist.

A vintage 1950s postcard with a bounty of Thanksgiving dishes.

These historical recipes, featuring old-fashioned takes on some of the Thanksgiving dishes that we know and love, are ripe for a comeback.

Mark your calendars.

It used to be a little harder to keep track of, and not just because you couldn’t Google “When is Thanksgiving?”

What the heck do you do with these things?

There’s actually a lot you can cook with turkey giblets.

Airports are notorious for being crowded around the holidays.

If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving this year, try to dodge these airports.