Holiday Highlights
Year National Family Literacy Day, Nov. 1, was established: 1994
Difference in the number of words heard by children of professional parents before age 4 and those heard by children of parents on welfare: 30 million
Difference in IQ scores at age 3 between both groups, with offspring of talkative professionals scoring higher: 25
Projected completion date for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, DC, under construction since November 2010: November 2012
Percent of Americans who say their favorite aspect of Thanksgiving is having the day off work: 38
Percent who say it’s spending time with their family: 14
Tons of turkey Swanson had left in 1953, after the company overestimated the amount Americans would buy for Thanksgiving: 260
Number of trays Swanson salesman Gerry Thomas ordered to fill with surplus turkey, along with stuffing, sweet potatoes, and peas, to create the first TV dinners: 5,000
Percent of turkeys sold in the U.S. that come from factory farms, where they’re bred to be so meaty they can’t walk: 99
Percent of Americans whose favorite Thanksgiving side dish is potatoes: 53
Percent who favor cranberry sauce: 16
Percent of holiday shoppers who expect to compare prices and buy gifts online: 69
Last day U.S. savings bonds, a favorite holiday gift from grandparents to grandchildren, will be sold in paper form and not electronically: Jan. 1, 2012
Sources: Readwritethink.org, DAV Magazine, Curve, Time, Newsweek, Pollsb.com, WWD, Daily Record
