Weird but True Facts
It's a tradition for presidents to "pardon" turkeys. What does this mean?
a. they aplogize for them when they burp
b. they let them out of turkey jail
c. they allow them to use the restroom indoors
d. they excuse them from the dinner table
d. They excuse them from the dinner table.
Each year the U.S. President pardons a turkey. The first president to pardon a turkey was Abraham Lincoln. His son, Tad, begged his father to save the life of a bird that was to be eaten for Christmas dinner. This year marks 55 consecutive year of a turkey pardoning. That's 55 lucky turkeys!
A turkey can fly higher than an ostrich.
a. true
b. false
b. false
However, wild turkeys can FLY at up to speeds of 55 miles per hour, and they can RUN at up to speeds of 25 miles per hour!
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the:
a. last week of November
b. middle of November
c. first week of December
c. third Thursday in November
c. third Thursday in November
Thanksgiving was originally celebrated the last week of November. During the Great Depression in 1939, President Roosevelt moved it to the 3rd Thursday of the month to increase holiday shopping and help the economy.
I'm always on the Thanksgiving dinner table, but you don't get to eat me. What am I?
Plates & silverware!
Which Thanksgiving food makes you tired?
a. Mashed Potatoes
b. Ham
c. Apple Pie
d. Turkey
d. Turkey
Turkey has an amino acid called triptophan that makes you sleepy! (kind of like melatonin).
The day after Thanksgiving is especially busy for people in which job?
a. plumbers
b. bankers
c. teachers
d. electricians
a. plumbers
This is not due to toilets being clogged, but turkey grease, potato peels, rice, and stuffing, that can clog a drain or overwork a garbage disposal.
t toilet's are clogged!
The first T.V. dinner (frozen meal) was invented after a Thanksgiving turkey order went wrong.
a. true
b. false
a. true
In 1953, Swanson (frozen food maker) prepared a lot more frozen turkeys to sell than were needed.They were left with 260 tons of extra turkey that they could not sell! Salesman Gerry Thomas created and sold individual turkey dinners, which became the TV dinner industry.
On average, how many calories does a person eat at Thanksgiving?
a. 500-1,000
b. 1,500 - 3,000
c. 3,000 - 4,500
d. 5,000 - 5,500
c. 3,000 - 4,000
This is like eating 4 Big Macs at one meal! A recommended daily calorie intake is around 2,00 - 2,500
It's in the kitchen, but it's NOT trying to boast. In November at Thanksgiving, your delicious turkey is what it roasts.
What is it?
The oven
Which one of these is not a traditional Thanksgiving food.
a. corn
b. mashed potatoes
c. cranberries
d. hot dogs
d. hot dogs
Jingle Bells was originally written for which holiday:
a. Christmas
b. New Years Eve
c. Thanksgiving
d. New Years Day
c. Thanksgiving
Jingle Bells was originally written for Thanksgiving! A man wrote the tune because he was inspired by sleigh races. The lyrics were changed to be sung around Christmas.
The makers of Butterball Turkey have a hotline for you to call for all your turkey questions and concerns.
a. true
b. false
a. true
Butterball answers more than 100,000 turkey-cooking questions via their Butterball Turkey Hotline each November and December.
Which president made Thanksgiving a permanent national holiday?
a. Abraham Lincoln
b. Donald Trump
c. George Washington
d. Barack Obama
a. Abraham Lincoln
The first national holiday was on Thursday, November 26, 1789.
Can a turkey fly higher than an ostrich?
a. yes
b. no
b. no
Ostriches can't fly!
But wild turkeys can fly at up to speeds of 55 mph!
Which U.S. state is the cranberry capital of the world?
a. Illinois
b. Idaho
c. Ohio
d. Wisonsin
d. Wisconsin
Nearly 60% of all harvested cranberries in a year come from this state. They grow in areas called bogs where the ground is wet and mushy and they are harvested every year between October & November.
How many towns in the U.S. are named "Turkey"?
a. 5
b. 10
c. 4
d. none
c. 4
There are 4 towns named Turkey in the U.S.! The towns are located in Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Arizona.
It's a tradition for presidents to "pardon" turkeys. What does this mean?
a. they aplogize when they gobble
b. they let them out of turkey jail
c. they excuse them to use the restroom
d. they save them from being part of the Thanksgiving Day dinner
d. They save them from being part of the Thanksgiving Day dinner.
The first president to pardon a turkey was Abraham Lincoln. His son, Tad, begged his father to save the life of a bird that was to be eaten for Christmas dinner.
How long was the Pilgrim's first Thanksgiving Day celebration?
a. 3 days
b. a week
c. a month
d. 1 day
a. 3 days
The celebration included a big feast with the Wompanoag Native American tribe. They had to travel to Plymouth and participate in the activities including hunting, feasting, and playing games together.
Where did the Pilgrims stand when they landed in Massachussetts?
On their feet!
Who invented the traditional green bean casserole made with soup and topped with fried onions?
a. one of the first pilgrims
b. a campbell soup employee
c. a famous chef
d. The green giant
b. a campbell soup employee
Green Bean Casserole was created by a Campbell Soup Company employee, Dorcas Reilly, at their Camden, New Jersey headquarters in 1955. She was one of the first full-time employees in the Campbells test kitchen.
At the Macy's Day Parade, what is the total amount of helium used to inflate all the balloons that look like cartoon/movie characters?
a. 10,000 cubic feet
b. 100,000 cubic feet
c. 200,000 cubic feet
d. none of the above
d. none of the above
The balloons at the parade actually require between 300,000-700,000 cubic feet of helium, and filling them costs at least $510,000!
All turkeys gobble.
a. true
b. false
b. false
Only male turkeys gobble. Female turkeys cackle!
How many turkeys are prepared in America for Thanksgiving each year?
a. 3 million
b. 15 million
c. 58 million
d. 46 million
d. 46 million
Turkeys are a traditional food because they are plentiful in North America and are bigger than chickens.
I have ears but I cannot hear, and I have flakes but no hair. What am I?
Corn!
Which one of these is NOT really a potato?
a. red potatoes
b. sweet potatoes
c. Idaho potatoes
d. gold potatoes
b. sweet potatoes
Even though both potatoes and sweet potatoes originated from Central and South America, they are actually not related. They come from different families, with the potato coming from the nightshade and the sweet potato from the morning glory family.