‘The First Official Thanksgiving’ explores the holiday’s origins

“The First Official Thanksgiving” tells the story of what some historians might call the first “official, English-speaking” Thanksgiving held in the Americas. ‘The First Official Thanksgiving” challenges the long-held belief that America’s first Thanksgiving was held in Plymouth, Massachusetts through dramatic re-enactment and interviews from Graham Woodlief, a descendant of Capt. John Woodlief, Karla K. Bruno, author and biographer of Dr. Lyon Tyler, Chief Stephen Adkins of the Chickahominy Tribe, and several other individuals. The show also chronicles how the discovery of the Nibley papers led to a friendly rivalry between Virginia and Massachusetts about who can rightfully lay claim to the birth of America’s Thanksgiving holiday. “The First Official Thanksgiving” airs Thursday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m.