The Real Reason Why Thanksgiving Is Always on a Thursday

For Americans, the timing of the Thanksgiving holiday — the fourth Thursday in November — can be a blessing or a curse. Get Friday off as well and it's the rare four-day weekend; go back to work and it's just a hassle for travel.

But, as it turns out, the earliest Thanksgivings in what's now the United States had very different timing. Crucially, they weren't just a once-a-year special event.