Thanksgiving is a truly American holiday. Families get together for dinner and fun. Most people know the origin of Thanksgiving, but many do not know all the facts and trivia associated with the day.

This article shares Thanksgiving trivia, facts, and some fun activities for your family get-together. You will find Thanksgiving trivia questions and answers to stump your guests, a Thanksgiving Quiz to test your knowledge, and a list of Thanksgiving activities and games.

Thanksgiving Quiz

Thanksgiving Quiz

Start a new Thanksgiving tradition by having fun with these Thanksgiving trivia questions and answers. Simply cut them out and place them in a basket or bag. Have your family members and guests divide into pairs or teams and see who can answer the most questions correctly.

Multiple Choice Thanksgiving Questions

  1. Thanksgiving occurs on the:
    1. Fourth Thursday in November
    2. Third Thursday in November
    3. November 26 each year
  2. The first Thanksgiving lasted:
    1. One day
    2. Two days
    3. Three days
  3. Which of the following was NOT served at the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving meal?
    1. Cranberries, corn, and mashed potatoes
    2. Rabbit, chicken, wild turkey, and dried fruit
    3. Venison (deer meat), fish, goose
  4. Which Native American tribe taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land and were invited to the Thanksgiving meal?
    1. Apache
    2. Wampanoag
    3. Cherokee
  5. Approximately how many turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day in the United States?
    1. 22 million
    2. 46 million
    3. 100 million
  6. Which southern state was the first to adopt a Thanksgiving Day in 1855?
    1. South Carolina
    2. Virginia
    3. Georgia
  7. What is a snood?
    1. The loose skin under a male turkey’s neck
    2. A hat worn by a Pilgrim
    3. A hot cider drink served at Thanksgiving
  8. What utensil was not used by the Pilgrims to eat Thanksgiving dinner?
    1. Knife
    2. Fork
    3. Spoon
  9. The best place to put the meat thermometer in the turkey is the:
    1. Breast
    2. Middle of the back
    3. Thigh
  10. Which president is believed to be the first to “pardon” a turkey and start this annual tradition?
    1. President Lincoln in 1863
    2. President Roosevelt in 1939
    3. President Harry Truman in 1947
  11. The Pilgrims came to the New World seeking religious freedom and were also called:
    1. The Puritans because they wanted to purify the teachings and ceremonies of the Church of England
    2. The Great Explorers
    3. The Wanderers
  12. Today, our Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November because:
    1. It is the date the Pilgrims landed in the New World
    2. This was the date set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 and approved by Congress in 1941
    3. It was the date people voted to have it on
  13. What is a baby turkey called?
    1. A chick
    2. A nestling
    3. A poult
  14. It has been estimated that how many Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving?
    1. 88%
    2. 50%
    3. 75%
  15. A full-grown turkey has about how many feathers?
    1. A million
    2. Too many to count!
    3. 3,500

Questions

  1. How long was the first Thanksgiving celebrated?
    a. Two days
    b. Four days
    c. Three days
  2. Under which president did Thanksgiving grow into an annual national holiday?
    a. George Washington
    b. Abraham Lincoln
    c. Barack Obama
  3. What part of the turkey is called the wattle?
    a. The bit of red flesh right under the beak
    b. Wobbly bit of flesh on the top of the beak
    c. The tail feathers
  4. Which state raises the highest number of turkeys?
    a. North Carolina
    b. Minnesota
    c. Arkansas
  5. What meat was brought to the first Thanksgiving by the Wampanoag?
    a. Deer
    b. Turkey
    c. Pork
  6. Which food was common at the first Thanksgiving but is seldom eaten at Thanksgiving now?
    a. Rice
    b. Seafood
    c. Chicken
  7. In what decade was the Thanksgiving staple, green bean casserole, first created?
    a. The 1950s
    b. The 1960s
    c. The 1940s
  8. Which culture birthed the idea of the horn of plenty, the cornucopia?
    a. British culture
    b. Indian culture
    c. Greek culture
  9. What do Koreans cook during Chuseok, their Thanksgiving?
    a. Turkey
    b. Rice cakes
    c. A slaughtered goat
  10. Which is the only place in Australia that celebrates Thanksgiving?
    a. Marshall Islands
    b. Fiji
    c. Norfolk Island
  11. To whom are drawings given by children in Japan on Labor Thanksgiving Day?
    a. The president
    b. Police stations
    c. Nurses
  12. How many calories, on average, does a person consume during Thanksgiving dinner?
    a. 1500
    b. 1600
    c. 4500
  13. When was the first-ever Thanksgiving NFL game played?
    a. 1950
    b. 1920
    c. 1960
  14. How many women attended the 1621 Thanksgiving feast?
    a. None
    b. One
    c. Five
  15. Which president did not agree to the celebration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday?
    a. Richard Nixon
    b. John F. Kennedy
    c. Thomas Jefferson

Hard Thanksgiving Trivia Questions

Now it is time to really test your knowledge of Thanksgiving and everything associated with it. We have chosen some questions we think most of you will not know the answer to. See just how much you and your family really know about Thanksgiving. We have listed the questions and answers separately to make sure we provide you with a challenge.

Questions

Thanksgiving Songs:

  1. What hymn that was originally a Dutch patriotic song is now considered a Thanksgiving song by many?
  2. What is the name of an American fiddle song featuring a turkey often played at Thanksgiving parties?
  3. Which popular Thanksgiving song’s actual title is “The New England Boy’s Song About Thanksgiving Day”?
  4. Who campaigned for Thanksgiving to be a national holiday and also wrote the children’s song “Mary Had a Little Lamb”?

U.S. Presidents and Thanksgiving:

  1. What president declared Thanksgiving on the third Thursday in November attempting to boost the economy for the holiday season and later officially made it on the fourth Thursday of every November?
  2. What president made two Thanksgiving proclamations and when did he do so?
  3. What president refused to celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday and why?
  4. Not all the U.S. presidents received turkeys at Thanksgiving. What unusual animal did Calvin Coolidge receive?

Food Facts:

  1. About how many turkeys are prepared for Thanksgiving dinner each year in the U.S.?
  2. How many pumpkin pies are consumed every Thanksgiving?
  3. How heavy was the heaviest turkey ever recorded?
  4. How much does the average turkey eaten at Thanksgiving weigh?

Celebrations:

  1. What city has the oldest Thanksgiving Day Parade?
  2. What city had a Thanksgiving Day Parade that ends with Santa Claus getting a key to the city?
  3. Why were there no Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades in 1942, 1943, and 1944?
  4. When was the first Thanksgiving football game and the first Thanksgiving NFL game?

Answers

Thanksgiving Songs:

  1. We Gather Together
  2. Turkey in the Straw
  3. Over the River and Through the Woods
  4. Sarah Josepha Hale

U.S. Presidents and Thanksgiving:

  1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  2. James Madison in 1814 and 1815
  3. Thomas Jefferson, because he believed a national day of thanksgiving blurred the separation of church and state
  4. A live raccoon

Food Facts:

  1. About 46 million
  2. About 50 million
  3. 86 pounds
  4. 15 pounds

Celebrations:

  1. Philadelphia
  2. Detroit
  3. Because of World War II
  4. 1876 and 1920

True or False Thanksgiving Questions

  1. Canada also has Thanksgiving. They have their holiday on the second Monday in October.
  2. The first ever Thanksgiving was held in 1621 at Plymouth by the Pilgrims.
  3. All turkeys can fly.
  4. The Pilgrims only celebrated three kinds of days – the Sabbath, fast days, and days of thanksgiving.
  5. All turkeys gobble.
  6. The first department store to hold a Thanksgiving parade was Macy’s.
  7. More than half of the people in the Plymouth colony died during the winter of 1620-1621.
  8. Every year the President of the United States pardons a turkey, who spends the rest of its life on a farm.
  9. Cranberries are tasted to see if they are sweet enough to harvest.
  10. Turkeys can see behind themselves.
  11. President Calvin Coolidge was given a live raccoon as a Thanksgiving present.
  12. The Pilgrims were the only group that celebrated the first Thanksgiving.
  13. Americans consume approximately 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving.
  14. The first Turkey Trot was in 1880.
  15. The first Turkey Trot was in Buffalo, New York.
  16. About 80 percent of Americans prefer Thanksgiving leftovers over the actual dinner.
  17. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the third Tuesday of October.
  18. Sarah Josepha Hale, a campaigner for making Thanksgiving a national holiday, wrote the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
  19. Detroit is the city with the oldest Thanksgiving parade.
  20. An average turkey weighs 30 pounds.
  21. The most popular alternative to turkey on Thanksgiving is ham.
  22. The first Macy’s Thanksgiving parade featured animals from the Central Park Zoo instead of balloons.
  23. Thanksgiving began as a day to give thanks for the end of a war.
  24. A male turkey is called a Jenny.

Modern Thanksgiving Trivia (Quick Round)

Add these to your basket for a fresh challenge.

  1. What side dish was created in a Campbell’s test kitchen and became a staple on many tables?
  2. Which U.S. state is the top producer of cranberries?
  3. What is the name for the tuft of hairlike bristles found on some male turkeys’ chests?
  4. Which NFL team has hosted a Thanksgiving Day game every year since 1934 (except during WWII)?
  5. Which pie is often tied with pumpkin for most popular at Thanksgiving?
  6. What classic sleigh-song was originally written for a Thanksgiving program?
  7. What do you call the decorative horn filled with fruits and grains that symbolizes abundance?
  8. Which city’s parade features giant character balloons and a televised Broadway preview?
  9. What’s the recommended safe internal temperature for cooked turkey?
  10. Which U.S. state is the largest producer of turkeys by number?

Thanksgiving Trivia and Facts

Thanksgiving Facts

There are many interesting facts associated with Thanksgiving, most of which are new to people. Read through our list to learn more about this American holiday.

  1. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924 and spans about 2.5 miles.
  2. The first national Thanksgiving in the United States was proclaimed by the Continental Congress in 1777.
  3. Initially, presidents proclaimed national Thanksgivings – Washington, Adams, and Monroe did so.
  4. After 1815, presidents ceased their proclamations, but by 1850 almost every territory and state celebrated Thanksgiving.
  5. Other countries that celebrate Thanksgiving:
    • Germany – Harvest Thanksgiving Festival in early October
    • Grenada – Thanksgiving Day on October 25 to mark the 1983 U.S.-led intervention that restored political stability
    • Japan – Labor Thanksgiving Day on November 23, a day for commemorating labor and production
    • Korea – late September or early October (fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month); called Chuseok, a major harvest festival that lasts three days
    • Liberia – the first Thursday in November, with traditions similar to the U.S.
    • Norfolk Island – the last Wednesday in November
    • Puerto Rico – the last Thursday in November
  6. Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the popular women’s magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book, began a campaign in 1827 to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. She also wrote Mary Had a Little Lamb.
  7. In 1863, Hale convinced President Lincoln that a national Thanksgiving might help unite the country after the Civil War. Lincoln declared two national Thanksgivings that year – August 6 (celebrating the victory at Gettysburg) and the last Thursday in November.
  8. In order to help the economy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the next-to-last Thursday in November in 1939 to lengthen the Christmas shopping season. In 1941, Congress permanently established the holiday as the fourth Thursday of November.
  9. Swanson had an abundance of turkey (about 260 tons) in 1953, and a salesman suggested packaging it in compartmented aluminum trays with sides, similar to airline meals. Hence, the TV dinner was born.
  10. According to the Guinness World Records, the heaviest turkey weighed 86 pounds.
  11. The famous green bean casserole was created in a Campbell’s test kitchen in the 1950s; the company sells millions of cans of cream of mushroom soup each Thanksgiving season.
  12. Cranberries were probably not eaten at the first Thanksgiving as they were too bitter; Native Americans used the berries as a dye and in poultices.
  13. Thanksgiving Day is among the busiest travel days of the year in the United States.
  14. Jingle Bells was originally written for a Thanksgiving program in a Boston Sunday School.
  15. There are only two primary accounts of the 1621 Thanksgiving:
    • Edward Winslow’s letter of December 12, 1621 (published in 1622)
    • William Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation, which mentions turkey among the meats
  16. The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924 featured live animals from the Central Park Zoo.
  17. It took 66 days for the Mayflower to cross the Atlantic – 101 passengers were on board.
  18. The Pilgrims were often called Puritans because they wanted to purify the Church of England from Catholic influence. Those who wanted to separate from the Anglican Church were called Separatists.
  19. Fun Facts About Turkey:
    • A 15-pound turkey usually yields about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.
    • Turkey is high in protein.
    • Turkeys have about 3,500 feathers at maturity.
    • Popular leftover ideas include sandwiches, soups and stews, chili, casseroles, and turkey burgers.
  20. Native Americans and colonists might not have actually had turkey during their 1621 feast. The Wampanoag reportedly brought deer, and historical accounts mention swan, seal, lobsters, and other seafood.
  21. Parts of Plymouth, Massachusetts preserve 17th-century sites you can still visit for historic Thanksgiving experiences.
  22. The first parade balloons (1927) were designed by illustrator and puppeteer Tony Sarg.
  23. In 1939, Thanksgiving briefly moved to the third Thursday of November to add seven shopping days. Public pushback led to the fourth-Thursday date being codified in 1941.
  24. The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line fields more than 100,000 calls each holiday season, helping home cooks rescue their bird.

Thanksgiving Icebreaker Questions

Thanksgiving is a time for parties and get-togethers. Sometimes making conversation with friends and relatives we seldom see can be difficult. Our Thanksgiving Icebreaker Questions are perfect for such times. Many will cause smiles and maybe even outright laughter. Use them to start interesting conversations.

  1. Why do male turkeys gobble?
  2. What is a Turkey Trot and where and when was the first one held?
  3. Were forks used at the first Thanksgiving?
  4. What are a wattle and a snood?
  5. Does a tom turkey have a beard?
  6. What song sung at Christmas was originally meant to be a Thanksgiving song?
  7. Can a turkey look backwards?
  8. Where should you place the meat thermometer in a roasting turkey, and what temperature should it read when done?
  9. How long can a turkey live and at what age are most slaughtered for food?
  10. Does tryptophan in turkey make people sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner?

Thanksgiving Activities

Thanksgiving Activities

Many of us celebrate Thanksgiving with family get-togethers that may include grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. Our collection of seasonally appropriate Thanksgiving games and activities adds an element of fun to your gathering.

Pin the Tail Feather on the Turkey

  1. Draw a turkey on a large piece of paper or poster board.
  2. Create craft-paper tail feathers.
  3. Blindfold players in turn and spin them gently before facing the turkey.
  4. Write names on the back of feathers and see who gets closest to the tail end.

A Thanksgiving “Boat” Game

Keep the youngest kids busy with this fun, non-competitive game.

  1. Give each child a small milk carton and a balloon (pre-stretch the balloons to make blowing easier).
  2. Have each child insert the balloon into the carton and blow it up.
  3. When they let go, the escaping air propels the “boats”.
  4. Once they get the hang of it, this keeps young children entertained for ages.

“Pick Two” Scrabble

You will need a bag of Scrabble tiles for every four players.

  1. Deal seven tiles to each player.
  2. Place remaining tiles in the center face-down.
  3. Each player arranges tiles to form words in front of them.
  4. When a player uses all tiles, they call “Pick two!” and everyone draws two new tiles.
  5. The first person to use up all tiles making words wins.

Turkey Hunt

This Thanksgiving version of hide-and-seek works well with a larger group of mixed ages, especially if the weather is mild.

  1. Create a turkey-feather headband using construction paper.
  2. Players take turns being “it” and wearing the headband.
  3. Very young children can pair with an adult.

Watch a Thanksgiving Day Parade or Football Game

After dinner, many people are too full for active play. If you have two TVs, set one to a football game for the adults and the other to a Thanksgiving Day parade for the kids. Make coffee for the adults and iced tea or lemonade for the kids, and serve dessert and popcorn during TV time.

For Thanksgiving Dinner, I Had…

Prepare for a memory game:

  1. The first person begins: “For Thanksgiving I had turkey.”
  2. The next person repeats the list and adds a food.
  3. Each subsequent player repeats all prior foods in order and adds one.
  4. Anyone who forgets the list in order is out.

The Pumpkin Rolling Game

  1. Head to an open space like a yard.
  2. Divide into teams.
  3. Provide pumpkins (one per team).
  4. Set start and finish lines.
  5. Players take turns rolling pumpkins in a relay race.

Guess the Number

You need an apothecary jar (pumpkin-shaped if possible) and candy corn.

  1. Fill the jar with candy corn.
  2. Place it where everyone can see it.
  3. Give each player a slip of paper to write their guess.
  4. Count the candy corn together.
  5. The closest guess wins the jar.

No-Prep Table Games (Lightning Options)

  • Gratitude Chain: Hand out paper strips; each person writes something they are thankful for. Tape into a paper chain centerpiece.
  • Emoji Menu Pictionary: One player draws or texts a string of food emojis that represents a dish; others guess the dish.
  • Left-right Story: Read a short story using the words “left” and “right”; everyone passes a small prize in that direction each time they hear the word. Whoever holds it at the end keeps it.

Thanksgiving is one of our oldest traditions in the United States. Canada also celebrates Thanksgiving and many other countries set aside a day of thanksgiving in the fall. Our Thanksgiving facts and trivia will enhance your knowledge about the U.S. celebration of Thanksgiving Day. Our activities and games add fun to any holiday party or dinner. Enjoy your celebration and have a happy day of thanksgiving wherever you live.

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