20 Fun Thanksgiving Facts That Will Make You the Dinner Table Hero

Thanksgiving isn't all fun and games - especially when your entire family sits down at one table. Some families are lucky enough to get along. Others, not so much. Although you love each other, there are bound to be disagreements, awkward moments, and Weird Uncle Bob saying Weird Things Again.

SNL knows how you feel:

Look familiar? Don't worry, we've got your back.

Here are some Thanksgiving fun facts guaranteed to break the ice and make you the Dinner Table Hero.

20 Ice-Breaking Thanksgiving Facts & Trivia

1. A turkey miscalculation birthed the first TV dinner. - Smithsonian
   

2. Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest drinking & pizza night of the year. - Chicago Business
   

3. There's a Butterball Turkey Hotline for all your turkey questions and concerns. - Butterball
   

4. Alcatraz holds an annual "Unthanksgiving Day." - KQED
   

5. Abraham Lincoln was the first president to proclaim Thanksgiving a national holiday. - Abe Lincoln Online
   

6. Cranberries were the original Superfood. - National Geographic
   

7. Sometimes presidents pardon turkeys. - White House History
   

8. Sarah Hale is a Thanksgiving hero (and she wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb"). - History
   

9. Baby turkeys are called poults. - Reference.com
   

10. Turkeys have heart attacks, but scientists aren't sure why. - Merck Manuals
    

11. Benjamin Franklin really loved turkeys. - Library of Congress
    

12. Turkeys can run up to 25 mph (almost as fast as Usain Bolt). - Reference.com

13. 50% of people put stuffing inside the turkey, although professional chefs advise against it. - Alton Brown
    

14. Cranberries were originally called crane berries. - NY Times
    

15. Only male turkeys gobble. Female turkeys cackle. - NWTF

16. Americans spend $1.05 billion on Thanksgiving turkeys. For perspective, $1 billion could buy a round-trip ticket to the moon, an NFL team, or a private island. - Yahoo Finance
    

17. Modern turkey breasts are so large that the birds can't breed naturally. - Grist
    

18. Arnold Schwarzenegger once eloquently said, "I love Thanksgiving turkey. It's the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts." 

19. The largest turkey on record weighed 86 pounds (about the size of a 12-year-old). - Foodie

20. Most people think you gain 5-10 pounds over Thanksgiving, but the average person only gains one pound. - Mental Floss

Now, go have a blast with your dysfunctional family. Remember to be thankful for all year round. From all of us at p80: