More than 10,000 spectators were present as four AI-powered cars vied at Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL)
uae1 hour ago
Thanksgiving is an official American holiday that celebrates one of the country’s founding myths.
It is famous for a huge meal and family fights around the dinner table, in recent years often over President Donald Trump. It also marks the start of the Christmas shopping season.
Thanksgiving doesn’t fall on a specific calendar day but rather on the fourth Thursday of November each year. Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, although harvest festivals were already traditional.
Thanksgiving is inspired by a 1621 feast held by the group of Protestant Puritans known today as the Pilgrims after their first successful harvest in the ‘New World’.
After landing on the Mayflower in what is today Massachusetts the previous year, half died over the hard winter. The newcomers had to rely on help from Native American tribes or in some cases stole from them.
Wampanoag Native Americans, some of whom were at the first Thanksgiving, helped the settlers learn to farm. They signed a treaty in the spring before the mythic feast, but settlers later tried to take their lands. Many Native Americans do not celebrate Thanksgiving.
Americans have the day off and generally gather for a feast and watch an American football game on television. Also on TV is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Three hours long, it is said to be the world’s biggest and is known for its huge balloons that are trailed between the skyscrapers of New York’s Fifth Avenue.
Not always. Family tensions over politics may boil today over Donald Trump but they are nothing new as Woody Allen’s 1986 film ‘Hannah and her Sisters’ showed.
And nothing caught the mad dash to get home on time better than Steve Martin and John Candy in ‘Trains, Planes and Automobiles’ (1987).
Back in the 17th century the first Thanksgiving was heavy on deer, corn and shellfish. Nowadays a common menu consists of turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and an array of pies, usually including apple and pumpkin.
Canada, Brazil, Liberia and the Caribbean islands of Grenada and Saint Lucia have their own versions of the feast (dates vary).
The day after Thanksgiving is called ‘Black Friday’ and is the biggest shopping day of the year in the US, with eye-catching discounts. It is considered the start of the Christmas shopping season. It is so called because it often pulls retail businesses out of the red into the black.
More than 10,000 spectators were present as four AI-powered cars vied at Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL)
uae1 hour ago
More than half of the Philippines' provinces are in drought as El Nino exacerbates hot and dry conditions typical for March, April and May
asia2 hours ago
Court opened investigation into Sanchez's wife in response to a complaint by anti-corruption pressure group, whose leader is linked to the far right
europe2 hours ago
Chang'e-6 to return with soil samples from moon's far side; the mission expected to last 53 days
asia2 hours ago
The breed, prized for profitability and an ability to adapt to climate change, garners celebrity status in the Central Asian country
asia2 hours ago
Thousands of schools have suspended classes due to the heat, affecting more than 3.6 million students, education ministry data shows
asia2 hours ago
Despite the growing market share of domestic automakers, Teslas remain among the best-selling EVs in the Asian country
auto2 hours ago
The entire plan will see cow-breeding and poultry projects come up near the massive wheat farm and the dairy farm will form the third phase
uae2 hours ago