Thanksgiving by the numbers

Toby Lyles and Amy Roberts, CNN Library

Updated 2322 GMT (0722 HKT) November 25, 2015

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.
Photos: Photos: The numbers that make Thanksgiving
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.
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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?
Photos: Photos: The numbers that make Thanksgiving
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?
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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.
Photos: Photos: The numbers that make Thanksgiving
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.
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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.
Photos: Photos: The numbers that make Thanksgiving
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.
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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.
Photos: Photos: The numbers that make Thanksgiving
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.
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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."