Thanksgiving is right around the corner. As such, I have chosen a clever title for my next round of posts. An aperitif is a drink served before a meal. Said drinks should be dry to stimulate the appetite. Pictured here: a very dry martini. Not a very historic aperitif, I realize.
Did you know that while Thanksgiving was celebrated by many people around the US, it did not have a formal date until 1863? Since 1620, the date of Thanksgiving varied by weeks or even months across the US.
By 1863, Dallas was on its third bridge over the Trinity River, the La Reunion colony had been established and failed, and the city was just about back to normal after the huge fire of 1860 wiped out nearly every single business. The population of Dallas was roughly 800 or 900 people when Abraham Lincoln announced that Thanksgiving would henceforth be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.
One powerhouse woman pushed for a standard date for Thanksgiving – she will be the topic of the next post!
