Most food was prepared in a kettle and sweet pudding was cooked in the steam above the bubbling broth. Meats were commonly roasted and the spits were turned by hand. In colonial times, water sources were often contaminated. To prepare a cup of coffee, or tea, water must be boiled. Boiling kills many types of germs that may be found in the water and the resulting beverage is safe to drink.
Some accounts say that during their migration the sky darkened at mid-day.
When flocks landed in a field, they quickly devoured the grain and destroyed the harvest. Over the years, presidents chose different days for the holiday. President Madison established April 13th, 1815. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the fourth Thursday in November, while in 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the third Thursday of November.