As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words—and your Thanksgiving festivities are no exception. Ever since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, Thanksgiving has been deemed a celebratory day filled with gratitude. Events including the White House’s pardoning of the turkey to the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade remind us why this holiday is so special, and—most important—the ways in which it unites us. That said, no two Thanksgiving holidays look alike. Not only do they vary by family, but they also evolve over time.
Whether you give thanks among loved ones at the dinner table or take the day to celebrate our country as a whole, there’s no better way to memorialize Thanksgiving than by looking back at our celebrations throughout the years. From vintage Thanksgiving images from the 20th century to modern celebrations in 2019, take a peek at iconic Turkey Days from 1910 to the present day.
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2010s
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2019
Boy band NCT 127 performed—and snapped a selfie—at the 93rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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2019
The Buffalo Bills beat the Dallas Cowboys 26 to 15 at a 2019 Thanksgiving football game.
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2018
TV personality, Queer Eye star, and chef Antoni Porowski cooks with Late Night host Seth Meyers.
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2018
Diana Ross and daughter Tracee Ellis Ross attend the 92nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22, 2018, in New York City.
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2018
U.S. President Donald Trump at the official U.S. turkey pardoning in the Rose Garden of the White House on November 20, 2018.
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2017
Gwen Stefani performs for the 2017 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York on November 23, 2017.
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2016
U.S. President Barack Obama pardons the national Thanksgiving turkey—named Tater—in the Rose Garden of the White House with his nephews Austin and Aaron Robinson.
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2015
Fans and alumni of the University of Michigan watch their team at halftime during the traditional Big Ten game over the Thanksgiving holiday in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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2014
Fans sport turkey hats as they gear up for the Chicago Bears versus Detroit Lions football game.
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2013
The First Family spread the holiday spirit by participating in a service project at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., on November 27, 2013.
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2012
Vice President Joe Biden hosts wounded warriors for an early Thanksgiving dinner at his residence.
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2011
Martha Stewart, Natalie Morales, and Al Roker are pictured cooking during NBC’s Today Thanksgiving special.
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2011
Jennifer Love Hewitt and Kim Kardashian attend the Los Angeles Mission’s 75th-anniversary celebration, serving a traditional Thanksgiving meal on November 23, 2011.
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2011
Ramses Barden, Kevin Boothe, Jim Cordle, and Chris Canty—all players for the New York Giants at the time—pose for a photo as they prepare to serve a Thanksgiving dinner at the Food Bank for New York City’s Community Kitchen of West Harlem on November 22, 2011.
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2010
Jay Leno with baker Marjorie Johnson during a cooking segment on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
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2000s
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2009
A U.S. soldier enjoys his Thanksgiving feast while standing watch in a guard tower on November 26, 2009, in Mata Khan, Afghanistan.
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2008
Actress and chef Katie Lee volunteers to serve Thanksgiving dinner at the New York City Rescue Mission in 2008.
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2007
Future vice president—and Democratic presidential candidate—Joe Biden volunteers at a benefit event at the Machine Shed Restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa.
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2006
David Blaine, the magician who successfully escaped from a gyroscope hanging 40 feet above Times Square on Thanksgiving, joined Major George A. Hood of the Salvation Army to host 100 deserving kids on a holiday shopping spree at Target.
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2005
An Uncle Sam balloon makes its way down Broadway during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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2004
Disney Channel star Raven-Symoné waves to the crowd at the 78th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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2003
American politician and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton shares a Thanksgiving meal with U.S. troops at Camp Wolverine in Kuwait City, where she visited after stopovers in Kabul and Baghdad.
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2002
American actress and singer Liza Minnelli performs during the New York City Rescue Mission Thanksgiving dinner, where she served food and signed autographs.
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2001
A somber tribute: New York police officers carry an American flag during the 2001 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which took place just two months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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2000
Manfred Bass, head float designer for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, measures out a Mickey Mouse scale model in a Hoboken, New Jersey, warehouse on November 14, 2000.
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1990s
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1999
Fans prepare for the start of the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions annual Thanksgiving Day game in Pontiac, Michigan.
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1998
American fitness instructor, actor, and video producer Richard Simmons poses with Jay Leno during The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ahead of Thanksgiving.
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