THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS
THANKSGIVING FOOD/DRINK
THANKSGIVING HISTORY
THANKSGIVING SYMBOLS
THANKSGIVING RANDOMS
100
Two people grab hold of opposite ends of this part of the turkey, and pull until it breaks. The one who ends up with the bigger piece will get his or her wish.
What is the wishbone?
100
Each year, about 46 million of these are cooked on Thanksgiving Day.
What are turkeys?
100
The name of the people who came over to the "New World" to escape religious persecution.
Who are Pilgrims/Puritans?
100
Benjamin Franklin wanted this bird to be the national symbol of the United States, rather than the bald eagle.
What is a turkey?
In a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin wrote, "For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country...For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird."
100
This is the busiest day of the year for plumbers.
What is the day after Thanksgiving/Black Friday?
In fact, the day is so busy for these services that Roto-Rooter Plumbing company actually calls it "Brown Friday."
200
This well-known department store's Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924 and is 2.5 miles long.
What is The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?
200
This well-known soup brand created green bean casserole over 50 years ago, and sells $20 million worth of cream of mushroom soup the week of Thanksgiving (40% of the yearly sales).
What is Campbell's?
200
The name of the town where the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621.
What is Plymouth, Massachusetts?
200
This is typically a hollow, horn-shaped wicker basket filled with various seasonal fruits and vegetables.
What is a cornucopia?
200
This president made Thanksgiving an official federal holiday.
Who is Abraham Lincoln?
He issued a proclamation declaring the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving. He saw the occasion as a peaceful interlude amid the Civil War.
300
This famous black and white cartoon beagle has made the most appearances of any balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Who is Snoopy?
Throughout the years, the beagle has been represented by a total of seven balloons, making 39 appearances "on and off through 2015."
300
Though they’re often used interchangeably, this is the biggest technical difference between stuffing and dressing.
What is how they're prepared?
Stuffing is cooked inside the turkey (and used to “stuff”) and dressing is cooked in a separate dish (and used to “dress”).
300
It took 66 days for this famous ship to travel across the Atlantic Ocean in 1620. There were 101 men, women, and children on board.
What is The Mayflower?
Only 50 of them survived to the first Thanksgiving the following year.300
This was most assuredly served at the first Thanksgiving, and the Wampanoag people taught the Pilgrims in Plymouth how to plant and cultivate it to survive the winter.
What is corn?
300
This 1857 song titled "One Horse Open Sleigh," was intended to be a Thanksgiving Day song.
What is "Jingle Bells"?
But it became so popular around December 25 that in 1859 the title was changed to "Jingle Bells"—and the rest is history!
400
The percentage of Americans who eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
90%
400
This popular 4-legged game meat was eaten at the original 1621 Thanksgiving - NOT necessarily turkey.
What is venison?
No one can say for sure whether turkey was even on the menu back in 1621. However, the original guests did indulge in other foods like lobster, seal and swan. The Wampanoag also reportedly brought five deer to the celebration.
400
This is the name of the Native American who acted as both an interpreter and a guide as the Pilgrims learned to adjust to the new way of life at Plymouth.
Who is Squanto?
400
The only place in the world where you cannot find pumpkins.
HINT: It's a continent
What is Antarctica?
400
This NFL team has played almost every Thanksgiving since 1934.
What are the Detroit Lions?
The team has always played on Thanksgiving except between 1939-1944 due to World War II. The Dallas Cowboys also joined in on the Turkey Day tradition in 1966 and have played every Thanksgiving except in 1975 and 1977.
500
The balloons took the place of these when introduced in the 1928 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. (Only 4 years after the first parade)
What are zoo animals?
Animals from the Central Park Zoo were part of the parade back when it was still known as the Macy's Christmas Parade in 1924.
500
The number of calories consumed on average per person during Thanksgiving dinner alone.
HINT: Recommended DAILY caloric intake: 2,000 calories.
What are 4,500 calories?
500
In November 1926, President Calvin Coolidge was gifted this live animal intended to be his Thanksgiving dinner.
What is a raccoon?
He wasn't super into the idea of eating a raccoon, so he decided to keep it as a pet instead. He named it Rebecca.
500
In addition to this bitter berry being consumed for food (most assuredly present at the first Thanksgiving) it was also was used for dying fabric and in poultices to remove poison from arrow wounds.
What are cranberries?
500
A Thanksgiving turkey mix-up inspired this popular meal trend.
HINT: It's in the freeezer aisle.
What are frozen tv dinners?
In 1953, a Swanson employee accidentally ordered a colossal shipment of Thanksgiving turkeys (260 tons, to be exact). To deal with the excess, salesman Gerry Thomas took inspiration from the prepared foods served on airplanes. He came up with the idea of filling 5,000 aluminum trays with the turkey – along with cornbread dressing, gravy, peas and sweet potatoes to complete the offering. The 98-cent meals were a hit, especially with kids and increasingly busy households.