Thanksgiving Trivia Questions and Answers

🚢What ship brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620?

Choices: The Susan Constant · The Santa Maria · The Endeavour · The Mayflower

Answer: The Mayflower

The Mayflower left England in September 1620 with 102 passengers. The trip took about 66 days. Source

🤝Which Native nation shared a harvest feast with the Pilgrims at Plymouth?

Choices: The Wampanoag · The Lakota · The Navajo · The Cherokee

Answer: The Wampanoag

About 90 Wampanoag men joined the English colonists that fall. The Wampanoag are the Native people of that part of Massachusetts. Source

🎩Which president proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day in 1863?

Choices: James Buchanan · Abraham Lincoln · Ulysses S. Grant · Thomas Jefferson

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

He did it in the middle of the Civil War. After that, Americans kept Thanksgiving every year. Source

🗓️On which Thursday of November is Thanksgiving?

Choices: The second Thursday · The first Thursday · The third Thursday · The fourth Thursday

Answer: The fourth Thursday

A 1941 law set the date. So Thanksgiving always falls between November 22 and 28. Source

🍂The Plymouth feast often called the first Thanksgiving was in which year?

Choices: 1607 · 1621 · 1620 · 1776

Answer: 1621

It came in the fall of 1621, after the colony's first harvest. Only one short letter describes it. Source

✍️Which writer pushed Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday?

Choices: Harriet Beecher Stowe · Sarah Josepha Hale · Emily Dickinson · Louisa May Alcott

Answer: Sarah Josepha Hale

She wrote articles and letters about it for 36 years. She is also known for the poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Source

⏳How many days did the 1621 harvest celebration last?

Choices: Three days · One day · Seven days · Two days

Answer: Three days

Colonist Edward Winslow wrote that “for three days we entertained and feasted.” Source

👥Which Wampanoag leader came to the 1621 harvest feast?

Choices: Powhatan · Sitting Bull · Massasoit · Tecumseh

Answer: Massasoit

He came with about 90 men, and the English hosted them at Plymouth. Source

🛍️In 1939, which president moved Thanksgiving one week earlier?

Choices: Calvin Coolidge · Franklin D. Roosevelt · Harry S. Truman · Herbert Hoover

Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt

He wanted a longer Christmas shopping season. People called it “Franksgiving,” and in 1941 Congress fixed the date. Source

📜Which president named a national day of thanksgiving in 1789?

Choices: John Adams · John Hancock · James Madison · George Washington

Answer: George Washington

Congress asked him to do it. He chose Thursday, November 26, 1789. Source

🦃Each year, the US president “pardons” which animal?

Choices: A duck · A goose · A turkey · A chicken

Answer: A turkey

The pardoned bird is not eaten. George H.W. Bush made the pardon an official tradition in 1989. Source

🥧Which orange pie is a classic Thanksgiving dessert?

Choices: Key lime pie · Pumpkin pie · Cherry pie · Apple pie

Answer: Pumpkin pie

There was likely no pie at the 1621 feast. A pumpkin pie recipe appeared in an American cookbook in 1796. Source

🦴Two people pull a wishbone. What happens to the bigger piece’s owner?

Choices: Their wish comes true · They wash the dishes · They carve the turkey · They get the last pie

Answer: Their wish comes true

The wishbone is the V-shaped bone at the front of a turkey’s chest. People often let it dry before they pull. Source

🥡What do we call food from a meal that we keep for later?

Choices: Leftovers · Snacks · Appetizers · Side dishes

Answer: Leftovers

It is the food that is left after a meal. Many families eat Thanksgiving leftovers for days. Source

🍲What is the brown sauce made from the juices of cooked meat?

Choices: Mustard · Salsa · Ketchup · Gravy

Answer: Gravy

Cooks usually thicken the meat juices with flour. People pour it on turkey and mashed potatoes. Source

🥖What do Americans call the bread mix cooked inside a turkey?

Choices: Casserole · Stuffing · Batter · Crumble

Answer: Stuffing

It is a mix of bread, vegetables, butter and spices. Some people call it “dressing.” Source

🌊Cranberries grow in wet, low fields called what?

Choices: Paddies · Orchards · Vineyards · Bogs

Answer: Bogs

At harvest, farmers flood the bogs. Each berry has small air pockets, so it floats to the top. Source

🧺What is a horn-shaped basket full of fruit and vegetables called?

Choices: A cornucopia · A piñata · A bouquet · A wreath

Answer: A cornucopia

Its other name is “horn of plenty.” It is a symbol of a rich harvest. Source

🍒Which US state grows the most cranberries?

Choices: Massachusetts · New Jersey · Oregon · Wisconsin

Answer: Wisconsin

Wisconsin has been number one since the mid-1990s and grows more than half the US crop. Massachusetts is second. Source

🦌What did the Wampanoag guests bring to the 1621 feast?

Choices: Six geese · Five deer · Ten turkeys · Twelve ducks

Answer: Five deer

Edward Winslow wrote that they killed five deer and gave them to the colony’s governor. Source

🎈Which store runs the famous Thanksgiving parade in New York City?

Choices: Walmart · Sears · Macy’s · Target

Answer: Macy’s

The parade marches through Manhattan and ends at the big Macy’s store in Herald Square. Source

🎅Who rides at the very end of the Macy’s parade?

Choices: The mayor · Santa Claus · Uncle Sam · The Easter Bunny

Answer: Santa Claus

His arrival is the parade’s way of saying the Christmas season has begun. Source

🏈Which sport do many Americans watch on Thanksgiving Day?

Choices: Baseball · Golf · Tennis · American football

Answer: American football

The NFL has played games on Thanksgiving since the league began in 1920. Source

🛍️What is the big shopping day after Thanksgiving called?

Choices: Small Business Saturday · Boxing Day · Black Friday · Cyber Monday

Answer: Black Friday

Police in Philadelphia first used the name for the crowded streets that day. Stores later made it famous. Source

🥂What is a Thanksgiving meal shared with friends called?

Choices: Galentine’s Day · Thanksmas · Friendsmas · Friendsgiving

Answer: Friendsgiving

The word joined the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2020. Its first known use was in 2007. Source

🗽In what year was the first Macy’s Thanksgiving parade?

Choices: 1946 · 1904 · 1924 · 1931

Answer: 1924

It took place on November 27, 1924. At first, Macy’s called it its “Christmas Parade.” Source

⭐Besides Detroit, which NFL team hosts a game almost every Thanksgiving?

Choices: Green Bay Packers · Dallas Cowboys · New York Giants · Chicago Bears

Answer: Dallas Cowboys

Dallas started its Thanksgiving home games in 1966. Team boss Tex Schramm wanted more fans across the country. Source

🐱Which cartoon cat was the parade’s first giant character balloon, in 1927?

Choices: The Pink Panther · Sylvester · Felix the Cat · Garfield

Answer: Felix the Cat

Felix was a big cartoon star of the 1920s. The first Felix balloon later hit a telephone wire and caught fire. Source

🦁In what year did Detroit start its yearly Thanksgiving football game?

Choices: 1966 · 1934 · 1920 · 1950

Answer: 1934

Lions owner George A. Richards set up a game against the Chicago Bears. Apart from 1939 to 1944, Detroit has played every year since. Source

🐘The first Macy’s parades had what, before character balloons replaced them?

Choices: Fireworks · Army tanks · Racing horses · Live zoo animals

Answer: Live zoo animals

Bears, elephants, camels and monkeys from the Central Park Zoo marched. Their roars scared children, so balloons took their place. Source