We are Thankful
In what year was the famous three-day harvest feast, often remembered today as the "First Thanksgiving," held at Plymouth Colony?
A) 1607
B) 1619
C) 1621
D) 1630
C) 1621
What was the name of the fictional New York City apartment building where Ricky and Lucy Ricardo lived in the classic sitcom I Love Lucy?
On November 11, 1620, the Mayflower arrived at Cape Cod. Before stepping ashore, the male passengers signed a famous document establishing the first framework of self-government in the New World. What was it called?
A) The Fundamental Orders
B) The Mayflower Compact
C) The Articles of Confederation
D) The Albany Plan of Union
B) The Mayflower Compact
Veterans Day is observed annually on November 11th. What was the holiday originally called when it was first established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919?
A) Remembrance Day
B) Armistice Day
C) Decoration Day
D) Heroes Day
B) Armistice Day
What ingredient is added to white sugar to make it brown sugar?
What was the name of the prominent Wampanoag leader (sachem) who forged a crucial peace treaty with the Plymouth colony governors in 1621?
A) Massasoit
B) Tecumseh
C) Powhatan
D) Sitting Bull
A) Massasoit
Which iconic variety show host introduced Elvis Presley to a television audience of over 60 million people in September 1956?
B) Ed Sullivan
On November 15, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the first constitution of the United States, which created a loose confederation of sovereign states. What was this document?
A) The United States Constitution
B) The Declaration of Independence
C) The Articles of Confederation
D) The Bill of Rights
C) The Articles of Confederation
Why was November 11th chosen as the specific date to honor military veterans?
A) It marks the end of the American Civil War
B) It is the birthday of the U.S. military
C) It marks the exact date and time the Allied nations and Germany signed the armistice ending World War I combat
D) It was the day the Pearl Harbor memorial was dedicated
C) It marks the exact date and time the Allied nations and Germany signed the armistice ending World War I combat
Black Forest cake originated in which country?
Which Native American from the Patuxet tribe acted as a translator and guide, teaching the Pilgrims how to plant native crops like corn?
A) Squanto
B) Geronimo
C) Crazy Horse
D) Pontiac
A) Squanto
Set in the fictional town of Mayfield, what was Beaver Cleaver’s real first name on the hit family sitcom Leave It to Beaver?
On November 10, 1775, a resolution by the Continental Congress officially established a specific branch of the United States military. Which branch celebrates this date as its birthday?
A) The United States Army
B) The United States Navy
C) The United States Marine Corps
D) The United States Coast Guard
C) The United States Marine Corps
In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially signed legislation that changed the name of the holiday to "Veterans Day." Why was the name changed?
A) To make the name shorter and easier to remember
B) To expand the holiday to honor American veterans of all wars, not just World War I
C) To align the name with British and Canadian celebrations
D) To combine it with Memorial Day
B) To expand the holiday to honor American veterans of all wars, not just World War I
What is the primary base ingredient used to make guacamole?
Which U.S. President officially proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday to be celebrated on the final Thursday of November in 1863?
A) George Washington
B) Abraham Lincoln
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) Franklin D. Roosevelt
B) Abraham Lincoln
Ralph Kramden was a blustery New York City bus driver living in a sparse Brooklyn apartment in which legendary 1950s comedy?
Which iconic American landmark officially opened to the public on November 17, 1800, when the U.S. Congress held its very first session there?
A) The United States Capitol
B) The White House
C) Independence Hall
D) Mount Vernon
A) The United States Capitol
While both holidays honor the military, Veterans Day is often confused with Memorial Day. What is the main distinction between the two?
A) Veterans Day honors living veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who died in service
B) Veterans Day is only for the Army, while Memorial Day is for all branches
C) Veterans Day is a federal holiday, but Memorial Day is not
D) Veterans Day is celebrated only in the United States
A) Veterans Day honors living veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who died in service
Which fruit was known as the "apple of paradise" (appel of paradis) during the Middle Ages?
• A) Banana
• B) Pineapple
• C) Pomegranate
• D) Mango
• A) Banana
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt temporarily moved Thanksgiving forward by one week for what commercial reason?
A) To align with the British holiday calendar
B) To avoid a predicted national blizzard
C) To lengthen the Christmas shopping season during the Great Depression
D) To honor veterans on the final Thursday instead
C) To lengthen the Christmas shopping season during the Great Depression
For 14 seasons, the Cartwright family ran the massive Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City, Nevada, on which legendary Western series?
On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the immortal Gettysburg Address. How long was this historic speech, which redefined the purpose of the Civil War?
A) Around 2 minutes
B) Around 15 minutes
C) Around 45 minutes
D) Over 1 hour
A) Around 2 minutes
In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which temporarily moved Veterans Day to a Monday in October. In 1975, President Gerald Ford moved it back to November 11th because:
A) The October date caused too much confusion with Halloween
B) The historic and patriotic significance of the original November 11th date mattered deeply to veterans and the public
C) Banks and schools refused to close in October
D) Weather was better for parades in November
B) The historic and patriotic significance of the original November 11th date mattered deeply to veterans and the public
What popular vegetable was originally purple before being selectively bred to be orange?
Which modern U.S. President is officially credited with formalizing the lighthearted, annual White House tradition of pardoning a turkey in 1989?
A) Harry S. Truman
B) Dwight D. Eisenhower
C) Ronald Reagan
D) George H.W. Bush
D) George H.W. Bush
Sheriff Andy Taylor maintained the peace alongside his bumbling but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife, in what fictional North Carolina town?
On November 10, 1903, American inventor Mary Anderson was granted a patent for a mechanical safety device that eventually became standard equipment on all modern automobiles. What did she invent?
A) Turn signals
B) Windshield wipers
C) Rearview mirrors
D) Padded dashboards
B) Windshield wipers
Every Veterans Day at exactly 11:00 AM, a special, somber ceremony is held at Arlington National Cemetery. At which specific monument is a wreath placed by the President or a high-ranking official?
A) The Eternal Flame
B) The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
C) The USS Maine Mast Memorial
D) The Women in Military Service Memorial
B) The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Farfalle pasta is widely recognized by what common English shape name?
• A) Little ears
• B) Bow tie
• C) Corkscrew
• D) Shells
• B) Bow tie
Which staple baking ingredient was completely absent from the original 1621 feast because the Pilgrims lacked mills and dairy cows?
A) Flour and butter for pastry crusts
B) Boiled pumpkin pulp
C) Wild venison meat
D) Local waterfowl and wild fowl
A) Flour and butter for pastry crusts
Rod Serling served as the host, creator, and primary writer for which groundbreaking, eerie science-fiction anthology series that premiered in 1959 and thrived in the 1960s?
In a historic election on November 7, 1916, which state elected Jeannette Rankin to the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman ever elected to federal office?
A) Wyoming
B) New York
C) Montana
D) California
C) Montana
Which beautiful red flower is traditionally worn on clothing around Veterans Day and Remembrance Day as a symbol of military sacrifice, inspired by a famous World War I poem?
A) Red Rose
B) Carnation
C) Poppy
D) Tulip
C) Poppy
What is the main culinary ingredient used to make traditional hummus?
In a famous letter to his daughter, which Founding Father expressed his admiration for the wild turkey, calling it a "bird of courage"?
A) George Washington
B) Alexander Hamilton
C) Benjamin Franklin
D) Thomas Jefferson
C) Benjamin Franklin
On the island-sitcom Gilligan's Island, what was the formal, professional title of the character known simply as "The Professor"?
A) Dr. Roy Hinkley
On November 11, 1921, President Warren G. Harding dedicated a sacred monument at Arlington National Cemetery to honor unidentified fallen soldiers. What is this monument called?
A) The Liberty Memorial
B) The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
C) The Eternal Flame
D) The Wall of Remembrance
B) The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Which U.S. state is home to the oldest, largest, and longest-running Veterans Day parade in the nation, which has been held continuously since 1919?
A) New York (New York City)
B) California (San Diego)
C) Virginia (Arlington)
D) Alabama (Birmingham)
A) New York (New York City)
Which country is universally credited with the origin of sushi?
What famous department store began its iconic annual Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City in 1924?
A) Gimbels
B) Marshall Field's
C) Macy's
D) Wanamaker's
C) Macy's
What was the name of the eccentric, spooky family's butler who stood over seven feet tall and communicated primarily in deep grunts?
B) Lurch
Which massive infrastructure project, originally authorized under President Calvin Coolidge, officially began commercial power generation on the Colorado River on November 11, 1936?
A) The Hoover Dam
B) The Grand Coulee Dam
C) The Tennessee Valley Authority
D) The Golden Gate Bridge
A) The Hoover Dam
Legally, the official spelling of the holiday does not include something that many people commonly add by mistake. What is omitted from the official name?
A) The capital letter "V"
B) An apostrophe (it is "Veterans", not "Veteran's" or "Veterans'")
C) The space between the words
D) The letter "s" at the end
B) An apostrophe (it is "Veterans", not "Veteran's" or "Veterans'")
What is the official, real name of the iconic Pillsbury Doughboy?
• A) Doughy Joe
• B) Poppin' Fresh
• C) Baker Ben
• D) Sweet Roll Sam
B) Poppin' Fresh
Which NFL franchise started the long-standing tradition of hosting a televised football game on Thanksgiving Day all the way back in 1934?
A) Green Bay Packers
B) Detroit Lions
C) Chicago Bears
D) Dallas Cowboys
B) Detroit Lions
In the hit sitcom Bewitched, Samantha Stephens attempts to live a normal suburban life as a housewife, despite being born with what secret identity?
Dedicated on November 13, 1982, in Washington, D.C., which striking, V-shaped black granite monument was designed by 21-year-old Yale student Maya Lin?
A) The World War II Memorial
B) The Korean War Veterans Memorial
C) The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
D) The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
C) The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, which historical war or conflict currently has the largest number of living American veterans?
A) World War II
B) The Korean War
C) The Vietnam War
D) The Gulf War
C) The Vietnam War
Which distinct spice is harvested by hand from crocus flowers and is considered the most expensive in the world?