The Origins of Thanksgiving

In 1621, a pair of Plymouth colonists introduce themselves to the local Native Americans with a neighbourly request to borrow some sugar, then gradually admit how badly the colony is faring: settlers are dying of scurvy, their European crops won't grow, and one of them is so hungry he starts gnawing on a plate. After listing everything they still need, the Pilgrims gratefully accept an offer to be taught how to farm and hunt, and propose a feast to thank God, leaving their hosts to wonder who exactly is being thanked. Tisquantum then steps forward to correct how Europeans mangled his name and hosts a quick quiz on how America got its name, grumbling that it was never named after him.

Tisquantum could talk with the Plymouth settlers because he had learned English after being kidnapped and taken to Europe several years before the Pilgrims arrived.