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100

Where did the first U.S. harvest feast of Thanksgiving take place?

A) Roanoke Island 

B) Virginia Colony 

C) Plymouth Colony 

Plymouth Colony 

The first official Thanksgiving feast took place in Plymouth Colony. Founded by a group of separatists who later became known as the Pilgrims, Plymouth Colony was, along with Jamestown, Virginia, one of the first colonies to be founded by the English in North America. The first settlement was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. This settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

100

What traditional eating utensil was NOT used at the first Thanksgiving?


A) Fork

B) Spoon

C) Knife 

Fork 

Pilgrims ate the first Thanksgiving meal with a knife, a spoon, and their fingers. The fork was introduced 10 years later by Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts, but didn't really catch on until the 18th century.

100
The day after Thanksgiving is also known as... 


A) Winter Solstice 

B) Fat Friday

C) Black Friday 

Black Friday 

Traditionally, the day after Thanksgiving begins the Christmas shopping season and is sometimes known as "Black Friday". One of the busiest shopping days of the year, "Black Friday" was so termed to mark it as the day retail businesses would make their profits for the year and be operating in the "black" and not the "red". 

100

Since at least 1947, what has the U.S. President been presented with on Thanksgiving?

A) Candied Yams

B) Live & Dressed Turkeys 

C) Stove-Top Stuffing 

Live & Dressed Turkeys

Every year, the U.S. President is presented with at least one live turkey & 2 dressed turkeys by the National Turkey Federation. The live turkey is traditionally pardoned & lives out the rest of his days on a peaceful farm.


200

What Native American was honored at the first Thanksgiving feast?

A) Squanto 

B) Tonto

C) Sacagawea 

Squanto 

Squanto helped the settlers survive in the New World by teaching them how to catch eel & grow corn, as well as serving as their native interpreter. Native American chiefs Massassoit & Samoset, along with 90 of their men also joined the celebration

200

How many pilgrim women survived to celebrate the first Thanksgiving?

A) Two

B) Four 

C) Twenty 

Four 

Only 4 adult women were left in the entire colony: Eleanor Billington, Elizabeth Fisher Hopkins, Mary Brewster, and Susanna White Winslow. Of course, they were the ones who cooked and served the first Thanksgiving meal.

200

What product owes its existence to Thanksgiving?

A) Recliner Chair 

B) TV Dinner 

C) Hula Hoop 

TV Dinner 

In 1953, someone at Swanson misjudged the number of frozen turkeys it would sell that Thanksgiving -- by 26 TONS! So they came up with a brilliant plan: Why not slice up the meat and repackage with some trimmings on the side? And so the first TV dinner was born!

200

How many feathers does a full-grown turkey have?

A) 500

B) 10,000

C) 3,500

3,500

According to the National Turkey Federation, it's estimated that turkeys have 3,500 feathers at maturity.

300

What type of meat was served at the first Thanksgiving?

A) Venison 

B) Fish

C) Chicken 

Venison (Deer)

There is no evidence that turkey was eaten at the first Thanksgiving, a three-day meal shared between the pilgrims and Wamponoag tribe in 1621, but Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow noted in his journal that the Wampanoag guests arrived with an offering of five deer.

300

How many calories are there in the average Thanksgiving dinner?

A) 3,000

B) 4,500

C) 6,000

4,500

According to the Calorie Control Council, the average Thanksgiving dinner contains 4,500 calories--that's 3,000 for the meal itself and another 1,500 for drinks, desserts and appetizers.

300

In A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, what does Charlie Brown serve to his friends for Thanksgiving dinner?

A) Ice Cream

B) Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches 

C) Pizza

Ice Cream 

Each plate setting includes an ice cream sundae (vanilla ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry) in a large sundae bowl. Snoopy serves up the food, throwing the plates to each guest Frisbee-style. Each guest also gets two slices of buttered toast, and a handful of pretzel sticks, popcorn, and jelly beans.

300

What American company invented the, "traditional," Thanksgiving green bean casserole?

A) Kraft Foods 

B) Campbell Soup Company 

C) Hormel Foods 

Campbell Soup Company 

The green bean casserole was first created in 1955 by the Campbell Soup Company. The inspiration for the dish was to create a quick and easy recipe around two things most Americans always had on hand in the 1950s: green beans and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup.

400

What famous Christmas song was originally written for Thanksgiving?

A) Silent Night 

B) Little Drummer Boy 

C) Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells 

"Jingle Bells" was originally composed for children to sing in a Boston Sunday School celebration. It was meant for the Thanksgiving season and had no connection to Christmas

400

Which of the following NFL teams traditionally hosts an annual Thanksgiving Day game?

A) New York Giants 

B) Pittsburgh Steelers 

C) Dallas Cowboys 

Dallas Cowboys 

With the exception of 1975 & 1977, the Dallas Cowboys have participated in an NFL football game every Thanksgiving Day since 1966.

400

How fast was the Mayflower ship that brought the pilgrims to the, "Americas?"

A) 100 MPH

B) 20 MPH

C) 2 MPH 

2 MPH 

The Mayflower averaged only two miles (3.2 kilometers) per hour during its historic voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

400

Which character on the TV show Friends once got his/her head stuck in a turkey?

A) Joey 

B) Chandler 

C) Phoebe 

Joey 

In "The One with All the Thanksgivings", the main characters spend Thanksgiving at Monica's apartment where they tell stories about their worst Thanksgivings: Chandler learning of his parents' divorce, Phoebe losing arms in past lives, and Joey getting his head stuck in a turkey.

500

What day is the Thanksgiving holiday observed in the United States?

A) 3rd Thursday in November 

B) 4th Thursday in November 

C) 3rd Friday in November 

4th Thursday in November 

In the U.S., Thanksgiving is celebrated on the Fourth Thursday in November. (Canadians observe Thanksgiving on the Second Monday in October.)

500

What was the first department store to hold a Thanksgiving parade?

A) Gimbel's 

B) Macy's 

C) J.C. Penney 

Gimbel's 

The Gimbel's Parade, now known as the 6abc Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade, was first held in Philadelphia in 1920.

500

In what year did the first U.S. Thanksgiving take place?

A) 1621

B) 1620

C) 1650

1621

The Pilgrims set apart a day to celebrate immediately after their first harvest in 1621.

500

What U.S. company sells the most turkeys for Thanksgiving?

A) Butterball 

B) Foster Farms 

C) Jennie-O 

Butterball 

Butterball is the biggest processor of turkeys in the United States, according to the National Turkey Federation.

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