© 2025 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Celebrate and explore Native American Heritage Month with WKAR HD and WKAR World

The First Official Thanksgiving

PBS

Mon Nov. 21 at 9:00PM on WKAR World 23.2 | Most people think that Thanksgiving was first observed by the Pilgrims in 1621. It wasn’t.

"The First Official Thanksgiving" tells the story of what some historians might call the first "official, English-speaking" Thanksgiving held in the Americas. At a meeting in London in 1618, Sir William Throckmorton, George Thorpe, John Smyth and Richard Berkeley gathered to form the Berkeley Company and discuss a land grant in the new world, given to them by King James I.

Every WKAR News story you read is rooted in fact-based, local journalism, produced without commercial influence and available for free to everyone in mid-Michigan. No paywalls. Ever.

But this work doesn’t fund itself. With significant cuts to federal funding, public media is facing a critical moment. If you believe in journalism that serves the public interest, now is the time to act. Donate today.