Historical origins
The year the "first" Thanksgiving is famously believed to have been celebrated by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag.
What is 1621?
This large, colorful parade sponsored by a major department store has been a Thanksgiving morning tradition since 1924.
What is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?
This President officially established Thanksgiving as a national holiday to be celebrated on the final Thursday of November in 1863.
Who was Abraham Lincoln?
The main course at most Thanksgiving dinners, a large bird native to North America.
What is a turkey?
In the TV show "Friends," this character famously stuck a raw turkey on his head while trying to cook it.
Who is Joey Tribbiani?
This Native American, who knew English, acted as a translator and helped the Pilgrims survive their first winter.
Who is Squanto (Tisquantum)?
This professional football league has been broadcasting games on Thanksgiving Day since its inception.
What is the NFL (National Football League)?
In 1939, this President moved Thanksgiving up a week to spur retail sales during the Great Depression, causing confusion.
Who was Franklin D. Roosevelt?
A side dish made from small pieces of baked or toasted bread, onions, celery, and seasonings.
What is stuffing (or dressing)?
This 1987 film starring Steve Martin is a dark comedy about a family's disastrous Thanksgiving dinner.
What is "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"?
For over 50 years, the only state that did not officially observe this federal holiday; it finally did so in 1941.
What is Arkansas?
The day after Thanksgiving, known for its massive sales and the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season.
What is Black Friday?
The name of the National Thanksgiving Turkey that receives the presidential pardon each year.
What is "Liberty", "Peace", "Pumpkin", "Pecan"?
A tart red berry sauce, often served as a gelatinous molded dish or a looser sauce, that is a classic accompaniment to turkey.
What is cranberry sauce?
In the iconic cartoon "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," what does Snoopy serve for the dinner alongside toast and popcorn?
What are jelly beans?
This 19th-century author and magazine editor relentlessly campaigned for Thanksgiving to become a national holiday.
Who was Sarah Josepha Hale?
A modern tradition where the U.S. President "pardons" one of these animals, sparing it from the dinner table.
What is a turkey?
Before Lincoln, this first President proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving, but it did not become an annual event.
Who was George Washington?
The practice of soaking the turkey in a saltwater solution before cooking to enhance flavor and moisture.
What is brining?
This 1995 film features a dysfunctional family where the son reveals a major secret to his parents at their Thanksgiving dinner.
What is "The Ice Storm"?
The name of the Pilgrims' settlement, where the first Thanksgiving took place.
What is Plymouth Colony (or Plymouth Plantation)?
The nickname for the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, known as the biggest bar night of the year in the U.S.
What is "Drinksgiving" or Blackout Wednesday?
This President was the first to officially "pardon" a turkey, a tradition that became an annual ceremony starting with George H.W. Bush.
Who was George H. W. Bush? (Note: While there are anecdotes about earlier presidents sparing turkeys, the formal annual pardon tradition began with Bush in 1989.)
This dessert, made from a type of gourd, is often spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and served in a pie crust.
What is pumpkin pie?
The name of the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" two-part episode that uses a holographic simulation of a 19th-century town preparing for a Thanksgiving festival to solve a mystery.
What is "The Big Goodbye"?