Thanksgiving Foods
Thanksgiving Traditions
Thanksgiving History
Thanksgiving facts
Thanksgiving Trivia
100
What is the most popular main course served on Thanksgiving Day?
Ham
Turkey
Roast Beef
Turkey, often leading to the holiday being nicknamed "Turkey Day".
100
What is the number one Thanksgiving tradition of most Americans?
Going shopping
Watching the parade
Gathering with family & friends
The number one Thanksgiving tradition for Americans is gathering with family and friends to share a large feast. It is a key element of the holiday, symbolizing gratitude and togetherness.
100
What are the names of the two ship the Pilgrims boarded to start their journey to Plymouth, Massachusetts?
Mayflower and Speedwell
Nina and Pinta
Freedom of the Seas and Icon of the Seas
Mayflower & Speedwell. The journey was originally planned for both ships to travel together, but the Speedwell proved to be unseaworthy, forcing passengers to transfer to the Mayflower.
100
What is a popular crop that the Pilgrims did not know that the Wampanoag taught them to grow?
Indian corn
Rye
Barley
Wheat
Corn (Maize): Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to successfully cultivate the native corn, which grew better in the New England soil than English grains. They also shared their knowledge of other native crops like squash and beans, & taught the Pilgrims to use a fish as fertilizer to improve the poor New England soil.
100
What state raises the most turkeys?
Colorado
New York
Minnesota
- Minnesota: Leads in the number of turkeys raised, producing approximately 32 million birds in 2024. While Minnesota produced the most birds, North Carolina produces a higher total weight due to its larger average turkey size.
200
What is the most popular Thanksgiving dessert?
pecan pie
apple pie
pumpkin pie
1. Pumpkin pie - 29%
2. Apple pie - 20%
3. Pecan pie - 14%
200
In 2024, approximately how many people viewed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on their tv from home?
1 million
100 thousand
31.5 million
The 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade set a new record for viewers across all platforms, including NBC and Peacock. This is a 10% increase from 2023.
200
According to historical documents, what was on the menu for the first Thanksgiving?
There are only two surviving documents that reference the original Thanksgiving harvest meal. They describe a feast of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, a seafood and fish, nuts and berries, and a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.
200
To date what movie holds the record for the highest-grossing weekend in Thanksgiving history?
Wicked
Moana 2
Frozen 2
Grossing $221 million across North America in 2024, “Moana 2” shattered box office records with the biggest five-day opening of all time — including the biggest Thanksgiving debut ever.
200
Wild turkeys have made a major comeback from near extinction and can now be found across 49 states. What US state do turkeys not live in?
Florida
Georgia
Alaska
Wild turkeys live in every US state except Alaska. Thanks to conservation efforts, wild turkeys have made a major comeback from near extinction and can now be found across 49 states.
300
What is the most disliked food at Thanksgiving?
Turkey
Cranberries
Green bean casserole
- Cranberry Sauce — 30.51%
- Turkey — 29.11%
- Green Bean Casserole — 27.52%
300
What is a popular Thanksgiving Tradition practiced when people sit down to eat Thanksgiving dinner?
Argue with each other
Play games on their phones
Say what you are grateful for
A popular tradition is giving thanks by going around the table to share what everyone is grateful for. Breaking the wishbone is also a common and beloved post-meal activity.
300
Who president named Thanksgiving as a holiday?
Abraham Lincoln
George Washington
George Bush
Abraham Lincoln is credited with designating Thanksgiving as a national holiday through a proclamation in 1863. He declared the last Thursday in November as a day for national Thanksgiving, though it was officially established as a federal holiday later by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
300
Female turkeys do not make a "gobble" sound, only male turkeys do.
True
False
You probably associate turkeys with a “gobble” sound, but only male turkeys actually emit that call—which is why they’re known as gobblers.
300
What is the US state that produces the most cranberries?
Wisconsin
Massachusetts
Oregon
New Jersey
The leading cranberry-producing states are Wisconsin (5.3M), Massachusetts (1.8M), Oregon (560K) & New Jersey (520K). Wisconsin is the top cranberry producer in the country, accounting for more than half of the nation’s total output.
400
What is The loose red skin attached to the underside of a turkey’s beak called?
wattle
snood
hood
The Wattle, there is also a similar red growth hanging from the top of the beak called a snood. Both can change color & size depending on the turkey's mood.
400
What other country celebrates Thanksgiving, although not on the same day as Americans?
Mexico
Canada
Greenland
Canada is the other country that celebrates Thanksgiving, though it falls on the second Monday of October, earlier than the American holiday.
400
What was The year of the first Thanksgiving?
2023
1621
1774
1621
400
Who was the first President to official grant pardon a turkey on Thanksgiving in 1989?
Donald Trump
George H.W. Bush
Barak Obama
The tradition of US President receiving turkeys as gifts traces back to the 1870s. However, the first official turkey “pardon” was granted by George H.W. Bush.
400
What is the amount of NFL games played on Thanksgiving?
1
0
15
3
The Detroit Lions have played at home on Thanksgiving every year since 1934 -- except when games were paused from 1939 to 1944 during World War II. The annual holiday tradition expanded to add a home game for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960s. In 2006, the NFL added a third game with no specific host team to the prime-time window.
500
What is the best way to tell if a cranberry is ripe?
See if it bounces
The cranberry is hard
The cranberry is soft
The best way to tell if a cranberry is ripe is the "bounce test": a ripe, firm cranberry will bounce when dropped due to an internal air pocket
500
What is the name of department store known for their extravagant Thanksgiving?
Macy's
Target
Walmart
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
500
What is the number of days the first Thanksgiving celebration lasted?
1 day
14 days
3 days
The event spanned 3 days of feasting and activities with the Pilgrims and Wampanoag tribe.
500
Cranberries are harvested in bogs.
True
False
True
500
There is a popular myth that states Benjamin Franklin wanted a different bird, not the bald eagle, as the national bird of the United States. What bird did he want as the national bird?
Hawk
Seagull
Turkey
The myth was that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be chosen as the national bird. Franklin's actual stance: Franklin did not propose the turkey to replace the eagle as the national symbol. His proposal for the Great Seal did not include any birds.
600
What percentage of Americans prefer Thanksgiving leftovers to Thanksgiving dinner?
90%
66%
10%
Roughly 66% of Americans prefer Thanksgiving leftovers to the original dinner, with some surveys finding this figure as high as 70% or even 79%
600
Which city's Thanksgiving Day Parade ends with Santa Claus getting a key to the city?
Pittsburgh
New York
Detroit
Detroit
600
What seafood was served on the first Thanksgiving?
Lobsters
Clams & Oysters
Mussels
Fish & eels
The first Thanksgiving included shellfish like lobster, clams, and mussels, as well as fish such as eels and bass
600
Which President refused to celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday?
Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
Franklin Roosevelt
Thomas Jefferson's decision was based on his belief in a strict separation of church & state, and that the federal government should not endorse religious practices like a day of thanksgiving.
600
What caused about 1/2 of the Pilgrim population to die off in their 1st year living in New England?
eating corn and beans for the first time
undercooked turkey
sickness and starvation
About half of the Pilgrim population died in their first year due to a combination of factors, primarily a devastating epidemic of disease & harsh conditions of their first winter. The long voyage left them weak and ill, & they arrived too late to prepare for the winter, leading to starvation, lack of shelter, and scurvy.
700
How much did the world's most expensive Thanksgiving dinner on record cost? **DOUBLE points awarded for the correct city**
$7,000
$50,000
$181,000
New York City’s Old Homestead Steakhouse served the world’s most expensive Thanksgiving dinner at $181,000, including some of the world’s richest ingredients — headlined by two free-range, $145-per-pound gold-painted, gold-dusted and gold-flaked turkeys — but also equally rich experiences, like a $50,000 seven-day SeaDream Yacht Club Cruise for two, with luxurious owner’s suite accommodations.
700
Which city holds the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the America?
Philadelphia
Detroit
New York
First held in 1920, Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade has a legacy as the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in America (Macy's didn't start until 1924). The parade was created by Gimbel Brothers Department Store for the children and residents of Philadelphia.
700
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621, but what year was it first observed as a national holiday?
1873
2023
1995
1873
700
How many pounds of glitter are sprinkled on Macy's Thanksgiving Parade floats and costumes in 2024?
300 lbs
150 lbs
75 lbs
In 2024, approximately 300 pounds of glitter were used on the floats & costumes for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This was part of a larger effort that also included 2,000 gallons of paint & 200 pounds of confetti.
700
How many passengers were there on the Mayflower?
30
102
500
There were 102 passengers & 30 crew that set sail on the Mayflower in September 1620 - some of them were fleeing religious persecution in England, but others were travelling to America to set up new commercial ventures.
800
What is the number of calories consumed on an average person's plate on thanksgiving dinner (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes, gravy, cranberries, cornbread, rolls, pumpkin pie....
3,000
1,000
500
Americans take in an average of between 3,000 to 4,500 calories at their Thanksgiving celebrations, according to estimates by the Calorie Control Council.
800
What is the number of turkeys consumed every year at Thanksgiving? (Remember there are approximately 347.28 million to 347.968 million in the US.)
1 million
46 million
12 million
46 Million according to the National Turkey Federation and the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association. This equates to roughly 1.4 billion pounds of turkey for the holiday.
800
When was the Macy's first Thanksgiving parade?
1915
1920
1924
1924
800
What is The speed that turkeys can run when scared?
5 mph
50 mph
25 mph
When scared, wild turkeys can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. This is a crucial escape mechanism, and they can also burst into a short flight at high speeds if needed.
800
What Native American tribe joined the Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving in the autumn of 1621?
Cherokee
Navajo
Wampanoag
At least 90 Wampanoag joined 52 English people at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, to mark a successful harvest emembered today as the “First Thanksgiving”.