Wild turkeys, New York

© John Cancalosi/Alam

Stuffed with gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, many Americans will spend time with friends and family, giving thanks and enjoying what some consider to be the best meal of the year. The tradition dates back to English colonists who celebrated the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621. Their treacherous journey from England the year before and their first winter claimed half of the colonists, and the rest might have died too if not for the generosity of the Wampanoag people. To celebrate their first corn harvest and thank the Native Americans who helped them, the colonists held a three-day feast.