Thursday is Thanksgiving Day.

Courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau, here are a few trivia tidbits to liven up conversation at your holiday dinner table:

♦History: In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims, early settlers of Plymouth Colony, held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest, which many people consider the nation’s first Thanksgiving. The tradition continued and became a national holiday in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. President Franklin Roosevelt later tweaked the wording so Thanksgiving always would be on the fourth Thursday of November, creating more time for holiday shopping.

♦Turkeys: 271 million, the estimated number of turkeys raised in 2008, the most recent data available. Their combined weight was about 7.9 billion pounds. Did someone say leftovers?

♦Top turkey states: No, were not talking about the human residents. Minnesota raised the most birds in 2008 with 49 million. Indiana was sixth nationally with 15.9 million birds.

♦Berry, berry many: Cranberry growers expect to harvest 709 million pounds of the red berries this year. Wisconsin likely will be the top producer with about 400 million pounds.

♦Tater total: About 1.8 billion pounds of sweet potatoes were grown in the United States in 2008, the most recent figure available. North Carolina was the top producer with 874 million pounds.

♦Who wants pie?: Farmers raised 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins in 2008, with Illinois the leader with 496 million pounds. Growers in Michigan will raise about 220 million of the 284 million pounds of tart cherries harvested this year.

♦Second helpings: The typical American ate 13.8 pounds of turkey during 2007, the most recent data available. You can bet a lot of that went down the hatch at Thanksgiving.

♦Turkey towns: Three places in the country are named after the holiday bird – Turkey, Texas; Turkey Creek, La.; and Turkey, N.C.

♦Speaking of towns: There are 28 communities named Plymouth in the United States, including the city along U.S. 30 in north-central Indiana.