Slice, Slice Baby
What movie made the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade famous?
A) Home Alone
B) A Christmas Story
C) Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street
The parade became known nationwide after being prominently featured in the 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street, which included footage of the 1946 festivities.
How long was the pilgrims' voyage from England to the New World?
A) 66 Days
B) 224 Days
C) 186 Days
66 Days
The voyage itself across the Atlantic Ocean took 66 days, from their departure on September 6, until Cape Cod was sighted on 9 November 1620.
When did the first national Thanksgiving Day take place?
A) November 26, 1789
B) December 5, 1777
C) October 30, 1776
November 26, 1789
Although many days of thanksgiving were appointed prior to this time, the first national Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed on November 26, 1789 by President George Washington.
In A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, who gets the wishbone?
A) Snoopy
B) Woodstock
C) Charlie Brown
Woodstock
Snoopy and Woodstock pull apart the wishbone, with Woodstock snapping off the bigger piece. As its release hurls him through the air, he smiles, perhaps because his longtime wish to fly straight and head-up like a normal bird has been granted.
In The Simpsons Thanksgiving episode, "Bart vs. Thanksgiving," what football team is Homer cheering for?
A) Dallas Cowboys
B) Cleveland Browns
C) Detroit Lions
Dallas Cowboys
While watching the Thanksgiving football game, Homer says he is cheering for the Dallas Cowboys. Two of the fictional Dallas Cowboys players are named Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky after two writers on the show.
Which U. S. President set the date that we currently celebrate Thanksgiving?
A) Franklin D. Roosevelt
B) Woodrow Wilson
C) James A. Garfield
Franklin D. Roosevelt
On December 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday. Two years earlier, Roosevelt had used a presidential proclamation to try to achieve this change, reasoning that earlier celebration of the holiday would give the country an economic boost.
What is the name of the book that Governor William Bradford wrote telling of the troubles and experiences of the pilgrims?
A) The Trials and Tribulations of Plymouth
B) Of Plymouth Plantation
C) A Pilgrim's Progress
Of Plymouth Plantation
Written over a period of years by William Bradford, the leader of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, Of Plymouth Plantation is regarded as the most authoritative account of the Pilgrims and the early years of the colony they founded.
What were the names of the 2 live turkeys President George W. Bush received in 2003, as voted on by the American public?
A) Fred & Ethel
B) Stars & Stripes
C) Salt & Pepper
Stars & Stripes
The turkeys presented to U.S. President George W. Bush on Thanksgiving Day 2003 were named Stars & Stripes. In subsequent years, they have been named Biscuit & Gravy, Marshmallow & Yam, and Flyer & Fryer.
Who is the Greek goddess of the harvest?
A) Persephone
B) Demeter
C) Hera
Demeter
Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, who presided over grains and the fertility of the earth.
How fast can a turkey fly?
A) 55 mph
B) 23 mph
C) 70 mph
55 mph
Wild turkeys can fly 55 miles per hour, and run 25 miles per hour.
What is a baby turkey called?
A) Squeaker
B) Poult
C) Squab
Poult
A male turkey is called a tom or a gobbler, a female turkey a hen, and a baby turkey a poult.
How many different varieties of pumpkins are there?
A) 17
B) 85
C) 45
45
There are more than 45 different varieties of pumpkin. They range in color from red to yellow to green and have names like Hooligan, Cotton Candy and Orange Smoothie.
What German holiday closely resembles Thanksgiving?
A) Ostermontag
B) Fronleichnam
C) Erntedankfest
Erntedankfest
The Harvest Thanksgiving Festival, Erntedankfest, is a popular German Christian festival in early October. The festival has a significant religious component, and unlike its North American counterpart, it usually does not include large dinners. Many churches get decorated with autumn crops, beautifully arranged in front of the altar. In some places, there are religious processions or parades. Many Bavarian beer festivals, like the Munich Oktoberfest, take place within the vicinity of Erntedankfest.
In a Thanksgiving episode of the TV show Bewitched, who is put on trial for witchcraft?
A) Samantha
B) Darrin
C) Tabitha
Darrin
This famous "Bewitched" episode sees our favorite housewitch transport her family to the time of the pilgrims. When Darren is put on trial as a witch, Samantha ironically uses her nose-twitching powers to prove his innocence.
What percentage of a pumpkin is made of water?
A) 27%
B) 92%
C) 0.1%
92%
A pumpkin is 92% water, 6.5% carbohydrate, 0.1% fat and 1% protein (table).
How high must a cranberry bounce before it is harvested?
A) 4 inches
B) 1 inch
C) 2 inches
4 inches
Cranberries bounce over a 4-inch board when harvested, according to the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. Firm berries bounce, while the softer, overripe berries drop to the bottom of the sorter and are discarded.
Where do wild turkeys like to sleep?
A) Caves
B) Trees
C) Tall grass
Trees
Although wild turkeys spend most of their time on the ground during the day, they sleep in trees at night. Turkeys cannot see well in the dark. Sleeping in trees provides protection from predators that roam and can see at night. They fly up to roost at dusk, and fly down at dawn to begin their daily rituals.
How much did the world's largest pumpkin pie weigh?
A) 5,623 lbs
B) 2,020 lbs
C) 3,699 lbs
3,699 lbs
The world's largest pumpkin pie was made in New Bremen, Ohio. Amazingly, this pie was 20 feet in diameter and weighed 3,699 pounds! This was the biggest attraction at the 2010 New Bremen Pumpkinfest. What's the recipe for a world record pumpkin pie? All you need is 1,212 lbs of canned pumpkin, 2,796 eggs (233 dozen), 109 gallons of evaporated milk, 525 pounds of sugar, 7 pounds of salt and 14.5 pounds of cinnamon.
According to the Butterball corporation, how long should you thaw a wrapped turkey in the refrigerator per 4 pounds of bird?
A) 1 day per 4 lbs.
B) 1 hour per 4 lbs.
C) 2 hours per 2 lbs.
1 day per 4 lbs.
Butterball recommends that you allow at least 1 day of thawing for every 4 lbs.
What is the fleshy protuberance on the forehead of a turkey?
A) Tassel
B) Snood
C) Spur
Snood
Snoods are just one of the caruncles (small, fleshy excrescences) that can be found on turkeys.
What is the name of the famous rock where the Pilgrims first landed?
A) Rock of Gibraltar
B) Rosetta Stone
C) Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock is said to mark the spot where William Bradford and the pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony disembarked from the Mayflower. It is stamped with the date of their arrival in the new world, 1620.
Who said: "My thanksgiving is perpetual"?
A) Ralph Waldo Emerson
B) Henry David Thoreau
C) Walt Whitman
Henry David Thoreau
In a letter to Harrison Gray Otis Blake in December 1856, Henry David Thoreau wrote: "My thanksgiving is perpetual. It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite--only a sense of existence."
When was the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade?
A) 1924
B) 1916
C) 1931
1924
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924 with 400 employees marching off from Convent Avenue and 145th Street in New York City. During this time the parade was accompanied not with the oversized balloons of our favorite cartoon characters, but with live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo.
Why does Marion Cunningham get upset in a Thanksgiving episode of Happy Days?
A) Everybody's watching football
B) Joanie becomes a vegetarian
C) Fonzie gets arrested
Everybody's watching football
Marion tells a tale of the first Thanksgiving to remind her family that the Pilgrims gathered around the table for fellowship, not around the television for football.
What tribe of Native Americans was invited to the first Thanksgiving?
A) Pequot
B) Navajo
C) Wampanoag
Wampanoag
Today, about 3,000 Wampanoag Native Americans still live in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.