As you serve your Thanksgiving dinner, you very well might have the radio playing in the background, and, if so, you are part of a century long tradition. This ad, from the October 28, 1923 Washington Sunday Star, for the Lansburgh and Brother Department Store, 420-430 7th St. NW, displays various accoutrements you’ll need for Thanksgiving dinner, such as an electric percolator for only $12.
But the close-up below shows how to really impress your guests. There were sure to be special Thanksgiving broadcasts, and you could entertain your guests with them with a brand new Radiola IV for only $275. It would be a wonderful source of pleasure for your home.
A hundred years ago, Thanksgiving 1922 was to be a radio Thanksgiving, as shown in this ad in the Washington Times, Nov. 26, 1922. There were 35,000 radio receivers in Washington, and to celebrate the holiday, the Continental Electric Supply Co., 808 9th St., was sponsoring a concert on station WIL at 3:00 PM.
“The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe. Wikipedia image.
Thanksgiving this year celebrates the 400th anniversary of Thanksgiving in North America. I’m somewhat appalled that nobody seems to have mentioned that the first Thanksgiving took place in 1621, 400 years ago. Clearly, it didn’t happen on the same day in November that we now commemorate. And clearly, it didn’t look much like the celebration that most of us learned about in grade school. But we did learn about it in grade school, it was a big deal, and this is the quadricentennial.
Last year was a horrible year, and for the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony, 1620 was also a horrible year. Forty-five of the 102 passengers from the Mayflower died in the winter of 1620-21. But at the end of the following year, there was much for which they could give thanks. The harvest of 1621 was bountiful. There was peace in the land, thanks largely to a forgotten hero of American history, Squanto, an English-speaking Native American man who providentially appeared to the colonists to broker peace and teach survival.
I suppose the reason nobody talks about this anniversary is because of the way Native Americans have been treated over the following centuries. Clearly, much of that history is shameful. But the first Thanksgiving was not a part of that shameful history. The version we learned in grade school isn’t accurate in many of its details, but it is right about one thing: The colonists and the Native Americans they encountered lived in harmony. Rather than sweep this history under the rug, I think this is exactly the kind of history we should celebrate and learn from. We shouldn’t ignore people who did the right thing 400 years ago just because other people later did the wrong thing.
Here is the account of the first Thanksgiving, written by Governor William Bradford (you can find it reprinted in this 1841 text at pages 231-33)
Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might, after a special manner, rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king, Massasoyt, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted; and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation, and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.
We have found the Indians very faithful in their covenant of peace with us, very loving, and ready to pleasure us. We often go to them, and they come to us. Some of us have been fifty miles by land in the country with them, the occasions and relations whereof you shall understand by our general and more full declaration of such things as are worth the noting. Yea, it hath pleased God so to possess the Indians with a fear of us and love unto us, that not only the greatest king amongst them, called Massasoyt, but also all the princes and peoples round about us, have either made suit unto us, or been glad of any occasion to make peace with us; so that seven of them at once have sent their messengers to us to that end. Yea, an isle at sea, which we never saw, hath also, together with the former, yielded willingly to be under the protection and subject to our sovereign lord King James. So that there is now great peace amongst the Indians themselves, which was not formerly, neither would have been but for us ; and we, for our parts, walk as peaceably and safely in the wood as in the highways in England. We entertain them familiarly in our houses, and they as friendly bestowing their venison on us. They are a people without any religion or knowledge of any God, yet very trusty, quick of apprehension, ripe-witted, just. The men and women go naked, only a skin about their middles.
I encourage you to watch this short video from PBS The American Experience. This is an anniversary we ought to celebrate:
Thanksgiving this year will be different. But perhaps the things we took for granted last year will be things we are thankful for this year. A hundred years ago, a world war and a global pandemic were still vivid memories. And seventy-five years ago, the boys (and a few girls) had either come home or were on their way home, but some never came home.
Today, we offer another snapshot of prices back in the day. These were the prices for a Thanksgiving dinner 80 years ago, in 1940. Europe was at war, and most Americans, if they were honest, knew that they would soon be at war as well. Yet they were thankful, and they bought turkeys, and pumpkin pies, and all the rest. The ad appeared in the Pittsburgh Press 80 years ago today, November 26, 1940.
Yesterday, we looked at 1950 grocery prices, and today we move to 1960. Here’s a snapshot of what grocery prices looked like sixty years ago, with an emphasis on Thanksgiving fixings, from the November 21, 1960 issue of the Pittsburgh Press.
The turkey itself would set you back 39 cents per pound. If you were a non-traditionalist, hams started for about 69 cents per pound.
The cranberry sauce was two cans for 45 cents. If you were going to make your own cranberry sauce, the berries were 19 cents per pound. And if you were making your own pie (which you probably did), the pumpkin was two cans for 39 cents.
Mayonnaise was 69 cents for a quart, and you could get 8 one-pound cans of Van Camp Pork and Beans for a dollar. Jello was 12 boxes for a dollar, and cake mixes were three for a dollar.
In the produce department, oranges were two dozen for 79 cents, and lettuce was 2 for 35 cents.
Here’s a snapshot of grocery prices 70 years ago today, from the November 20, 1950, edition of the Pittsburgh Press.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it was only natural that turkeys featured prominently, at 69 cents a pound (or 59 cents a pound for those 16 pounds and up). For 29 cents, you could get two pounds of cranberries, two pounds of apples, or three pounds of sweet potatoes. If you preferred your cranberries out of a can, the canned cranberry sauce was 7 cans for a dollar.
If you were stocking up on other meat, pork roasts were 33 cents a pound, and beef roasts were 59 cents a pound.
For the pantry, you could get ten cans of Campbell’s Tomato Soup for a dollar, a two pound jar of grape jelly for 43 cents, olives for 43 cents, and asparagus five cans for a dollar. Two loaves of bread were 27 cents.
You could wash it all down with a carton of cigarettes for only $2, and for the bathroom, four bars of soap would set you back 36 cents.
For the 1920’s radio dealer, an important way to get potential buyers in the door was the window display. And Thanksgiving was a tried and true theme for that display. This 1928 store window featured a cutout turkey listening to the radio.
The photo appeared in the April 1928 issue of Radio Retailing.
Sixty years ago this month, the Boys’ Life Radio contest was once again underway, and radio made the cover of the November 1956 issue of Boys’ Life, depicting a ham who took a break from his duties in the school Thanksgiving play to work some DX.
This cover was the work of frequent Boys’ Life artist Harold Eldridge. According to the magazine’s description:
Miles Standish thought he had it touch, having to defend the pilgrims with just a handful of soldiers armed with blunderbusses. But pity the poor dramatics coach who has his Indians better trained than his hams. That friendly Algonkian in the window probably pictures the coach back in the high school auditorium, sweaty hands clutching the curtain ropes, but not John Alden, no Priscilla Mullen, and no Miles Standish yet appearing in the wings.
According to the magazine, the artist never did tell whether the DX’ing ham ever got back in time to cut some turkey on stage.
Happy Thanksgiving from OneTubeRadio.com!
