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Thanksgiving trivia

Three quizzes, 30 questions, three levels. Every answer is explained as you play.

  • 3 quizzes
  • 30 questions
  • 3 levels
  • Printable list
Easy
Medium
Hard
Questions and answers — printable list
  1. How many days did the first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621 last, according to colonist Edward Winslow's account?Three daysColonist Edward Winslow's letter, later published in Mourt's Relation, says the 1621 harvest gathering lasted three days, per Pilgrim Hall Museum.
  2. What was the name of the ship that carried the Pilgrims from England to Plymouth in 1620?MayflowerThe Mayflower carried the Pilgrims from Southampton, England, to Cape Cod in 1620 after a 66-day crossing, per Britannica.
  3. Which US president signed the 1863 proclamation that established a national Thanksgiving Day?Abraham LincolnPresident Abraham Lincoln's October 3, 1863 proclamation set the last Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving, per the Library of Congress.
  4. On which day of the week does the United States always celebrate Thanksgiving?ThursdayFederal law sets Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
  5. Which department store has sponsored the famous Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City since 1924?Macy'sMacy's employees launched the parade in 1924 to promote the retailer's Herald Square store. It has run almost every year since, with one break: from 1942 to 1944 it was suspended during World War II so the rubber and helium used for its giant balloons could go to the war effort, resuming in 1945.
  6. Which NFL team has hosted a home game on Thanksgiving Day almost every year since 1934?Detroit LionsThe Detroit Lions have hosted a home Thanksgiving Day game every year since 1934, except for a wartime gap from 1939 to 1944, per the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
  7. What is it called when the US president spares a turkey from the dinner table each Thanksgiving?Turkey pardonPresident George H.W. Bush used the word 'pardon' for the ceremonial turkey on November 17, 1989, starting the modern tradition, per the White House Historical Association.
  8. What is the day right after Thanksgiving, famous for big retail sales, commonly called?Black FridayPhiladelphia police coined the term 'Black Friday' in the 1960s to describe the heavy traffic and crowds on the day after Thanksgiving, per Britannica.
  9. What red berry, native to New England, is traditionally served as a sauce at Thanksgiving dinner?CranberryCranberries are native to New England, where Indigenous peoples used the berry for thousands of years before European contact, per Smithsonian Insider.
  10. What large bird is the traditional centerpiece of an American Thanksgiving dinner?TurkeyThe USDA estimates about 46 million turkeys are eaten across the U.S. on Thanksgiving each year.
  11. About how many Wampanoag men did Massasoit bring to the 1621 harvest celebration at Plymouth?90Massasoit arrived with about 90 Wampanoag men, who contributed food including venison, according to Edward Winslow's account.
  12. In what year did colonist Edward Winslow write the letter describing the first Thanksgiving gathering at Plymouth?1621Winslow's letter, the only known eyewitness account of the gathering, is dated December 11, 1621, and was published the next year in what is now called Mourt's Relation.
  13. According to historians, which of these was most likely NOT part of the 1621 Thanksgiving meal at Plymouth?PotatoesThe 1621 meal most likely included wildfowl, corn, porridge, and venison, but pies and potatoes were not part of it.
  14. On what date did President George Washington issue the first Thanksgiving proclamation under the U.S. Constitution?October 3, 1789Washington issued the proclamation on October 3, 1789, naming Thursday, November 26, 1789, as a national day of thanksgiving.
  15. What nickname did the press give to the earlier Thanksgiving date President Franklin D. Roosevelt set in 1939?FranksgivingRoosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the next-to-last Thursday of November in 1939, and the shifted date was nicknamed "Franksgiving."
  16. On what date did Franklin D. Roosevelt sign the law permanently fixing Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November?December 26, 1941Roosevelt signed the joint resolution into law on December 26, 1941, setting Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November starting in 1942.
  17. Sarah Josepha Hale, who campaigned for decades to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, also wrote which famous nursery rhyme?Mary Had a Little LambHale, editor of Godey's Lady's Book, is also known as the author of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
  18. Who invented canned cranberry sauce in 1912?Marcus L. UrannMassachusetts cranberry grower Marcus L. Urann invented canned cranberry sauce in 1912 and went on to help found Ocean Spray.
  19. In late 1953, how many tons of surplus frozen turkey did the Swanson company have stranded in refrigerated railroad cars?260 tonsSwanson found itself with 260 tons of surplus frozen turkey after Thanksgiving 1953, a surplus that inspired the TV dinner.
  20. What was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade originally called when it debuted in 1924?Macy's Christmas ParadeThe parade began on November 27, 1924, under the name "Macy's Christmas Parade," timed to the expansion of the Herald Square store.
  21. Which president, on November 17, 1989, declared the National Thanksgiving Turkey 'granted a presidential pardon,' establishing what became an annual White House tradition?George H.W. BushOn November 17, 1989, President George H.W. Bush declared the National Thanksgiving Turkey 'granted a presidential pardon,' and the ceremony has been an annual White House tradition ever since, according to the White House Historical Association.
  22. About how many Swanson TV dinners had been sold within a year of their 1954 launch at 98 cents apiece?about 10 millionSwanson's first production run of about 5,000 TV dinners sold out so quickly that the company topped 10 million sold within a year of the 1954 launch, at 98 cents each.
  23. In what year did Macy's stop releasing its Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons into the sky after one snagged an airplane's wing?1932Macy's ended the balloon-release practice in 1932 after a stray balloon became tangled in an airplane's wing, per the Library of Congress.
  24. In which two years did the Dallas Cowboys break their Thanksgiving Day home-game streak after starting the tradition in 1966?1975 and 1977The Dallas Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving nearly every year since 1966, missing only 1975 and 1977, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
  25. The wild turkey's only other living species, the ocellated turkey, is native to which region?Mexico and Central AmericaBesides the common wild turkey, the only other living turkey species, the ocellated turkey, is found in Mexico and Central America, per Britannica.
  26. Which magazine's 1962 cover helped popularize the myth that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey as America's national bird?The New YorkerThe myth spread widely after a 1962 New Yorker cover by artist Anatole Kovarsky depicted a turkey on the Great Seal, per Smithsonian Magazine.
  27. Which dinosaur, unearthed in Cretaceous-era rock in Mongolia, was among the first found with an intact wishbone?OviraptorOviraptor, discovered in Cretaceous-era rock in Mongolia, was among the first dinosaurs found with an intact wishbone, per Britannica.
  28. In Ovid's Metamorphoses, which demigod tore off the river god Achelous's horn to create one cornucopia origin myth?HeraclesOvid's Metamorphoses tells how the demigod Heracles tore the horn from Achelous while fighting for Deianira's hand, giving rise to the cornucopia myth, per Britannica.
  29. About how many days did the Mayflower's 1620 Atlantic crossing from Plymouth, England to Cape Cod take?66 daysAfter leaking repeatedly forced the Mayflower and its companion ship Speedwell back to English ports twice, the Mayflower finally set out alone from Plymouth, England, and took 66 stormy days to reach Cape Cod in November 1620.
  30. In December 1941, which body amended the wording of the Thanksgiving resolution from 'the last Thursday' to 'the fourth Thursday' in November?the SenateThe House had passed a resolution setting 'the last Thursday in November' as Thanksgiving Day; the Senate amended it to 'the fourth Thursday' so the holiday wouldn't shift in years with five Thursdays, and President Roosevelt signed the revised resolution into law on December 26, 1941.

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About the Thanksgiving trivia quiz

The 1621 harvest gathering now called "the first Thanksgiving" wasn't an annual event and wasn't even considered significant at the time — it went largely unmentioned until the 19th century revived it as a national story. The holiday didn't get a fixed date either: Congress didn't set Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November until a law Franklin Roosevelt signed on December 26, 1941, ending two years where states were split between two competing dates known as "Franksgiving."

The 3 Thanksgiving quizzes split into three difficulty levels. Easy questions cover the everyday parts of the holiday — the turkey pardon, the Macy's parade balloons, the fourth Thursday in November. Medium questions move into the year-by-year history: the Mayflower's voyage, the Wampanoag alliance with Plymouth, and how the date got fixed in 1941. Hard questions dig into primary sources and specifics, like Edward Winslow's letter, the Franksgiving split of 1939, and the turkey's biology, spread across 30 questions total.

Frequently asked questions

What are 20 interesting facts about Thanksgiving?

There's no single agreed-on list of twenty — it depends on whether the source leans toward history, food, or football. A good one to start with: the 1621 gathering now called "the first Thanksgiving" wasn't repeated the next year and was largely forgotten until the 19th century revived it. From there, this page's quiz moves through the Mayflower's voyage, the Wampanoag, the Macy's parade, and the turkey pardon.

What are some fun Thanksgiving questions?

One that catches people off guard: was pie on the table at the first Thanksgiving? It wasn't — the 1621 meal most likely included wildfowl, corn, porridge, and venison, with no pies or potatoes. Questions like that, built around what people assume versus what the record actually says, tend to land well around a Thanksgiving table.

What are 10 facts about Thanksgiving?

Ten is a reasonable set once you range across categories: the holiday's fixed date, its food traditions, its parade, and its football games all have their own histories. One fact worth knowing: canned cranberry sauce, the Thanksgiving staple, was invented in 1912 by Massachusetts grower Marcus L. Urann, who later helped found Ocean Spray. This page's quiz covers ground like that across food, history, and football.

What are 10 good trivia questions?

A strong Thanksgiving round mixes eras rather than sticking to just the pilgrims: pair a question about the 1621 gathering with one about when the Macy's parade added its first balloon character, Felix the Cat, in 1927. Alternating between the colonial history and the 20th-century traditions keeps a round from turning into a pilgrims-only quiz.

What is a funny trivia question?

Did Benjamin Franklin really want the turkey as the national bird? He didn't — his famous line comparing the turkey favorably to the bald eagle comes from an 1784 letter to his daughter that was actually satire aimed at the Society of the Cincinnati, not a serious proposal. His own submitted design for the Great Seal didn't include a bird at all.

What are some interesting trivia questions for 2026?

The freshest material comes from data just posted: a record 202.9 million people shopped over the five-day Thanksgiving-to-Cyber-Monday weekend in 2025, up from 197 million in 2024 and above the prior record of 200.4 million set in 2023, according to a National Retail Federation report published December 2, 2025.

Sources for the answers above

No made-up answers

Every question here was written from a named source and reviewed before it went live.