Did You Know? US Thanksgiving Facts #1

Q: Thanksgiving has traditionally been the start of the Christmas holiday season in the U.S. Which U.S. President moved Thanksgiving back a week to extend the holiday shopping season?

A: Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the move in an attempt to help out retailers suffering through the Depression. Since 1859 U.S. Thanksgiving had been celebrated on November 30^th, but in 1939 FDR declared the holiday to be the fourth Thursday in November (November 23 of that year). Two years later FDR signed a bill making the move permanent and official.