Thanksgiving is a time where we can step back and give thanks for all the blessings in our lives. But what is the truth behind this beloved national holiday? For example, when was the first Thanksgiving? When was the first official national Thanksgiving holiday celebrated? What did an abolitionist editor of ladies magazines have to do with the holiday? These and other questions are answered in Thanksgiving Myths and Realities.

Learn more about Thanksgiving with the Thanksgiving Fast Facts.

On November 25, 1863, the Battle of Missionary Ridge occurred during the American Civil War. It was part of the Third Battle of Chattanooga. It was a Union victory with 12,485 casualties of which 6,670 were Confederate soldiers. This battle was very important because one of the confederacy's two major armies was routed. The federals held Chattanooga, the "Gateway to the Lower South," which became the supply and logistics base for Sherman's 1864 Atlanta Campaign.

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. At the time of his assassination, Kennedy was 46 years old and on a tour of the southern states to help gather support for the Democratic Party. Later that day Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President on the plane ride back to Washington.

On November 18, 1874, the Women's Christian Temperance Union was formed in Cleveland, Ohio. Under Miss Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard, the WCTU aimed to protect Christians through commitment, abstinence, and abolition of the liquor trade.

Prohibition Timeline