QUIZ: Thanksgiving Quiz – Do you know your facts?
Test Your Thanksgiving Knowledge! Dive into our 25-question Thanksgiving quiz and discover fun facts and surprising trivia about this beloved holiday. Perfect for all ages, this quiz is a great way to celebrate the season and learn more about Thanksgiving traditions. Whether you're a history buff, a foodie, or just love the holiday, our quiz promises entertainment and enlightenment for everyone. Click to start the quiz now!
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Do you have your Thanksgiving facts straight? Take our quiz and find out! And always remember, “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
Let’s begin the 25 Thanksgiving Quiz – Do you know your facts?
1. Which President of the United States declared that a national day of Thanksgiving would be held in November?
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared two national days of Thanksgiving. One was in August, and the second in November. But on October 6, 1941, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a joint resolution declaring the last Thursday in November to be the legal Thanksgiving Day. The Senate, however, amended the resolution establishing the holiday as the fourth Thursday, which would take into account those years when November has five Thursdays. The House agreed to the amendment, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the resolution on December 26, 1941, thus establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the Federal Thanksgiving Day holiday.
2. A full grown turkey has about how many feathers?
3. Where is the Macy’s Thanksgivings Day Parade held?
Macy’s hosted its first Thanksgiving Day parade in 1924. That year it was called the Macy’s Christmas Parade, and it followed a route from 145th Street and Convent Avenue to the Macy’s store at 34th Street and Broadway in New York City. It is the second-oldest Thanksgiving Parade in the United States.
4. What was the name of the native tribe that celebrated the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621?
Wampanoag, means People of the First Light. In the 1600s, they had as many as 40,000 people in the 67 villages that made up the Wampanoag Nation. These villages covered the territory along the east coast as far as Wessagusset (today called Weymouth), all of what is now Cape Cod and the islands of Natocket and Noepe (now called Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard), and southeast as far as Pokanocket (now Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island).
5. During the first Thanksgiving, how many days did they celebrate?
6. Approximately how many turkeys are eaten each year on Thanksgiving in the United States?
Around 50 million turkeys are eaten around Thanksgiving, according to the US Poultry and Egg Association.
7. Which of these foods is not thought to have been part of the first Thanksgiving?
Much of what most American eat on Thanksgiving was not available in 1621. But there was definitely no pumpkin pie with the pilgrim feast.
8. Which president is believed to be the first to pardon a turkey and start this annual tradition?
President George H. W. Bush was the first to formally grant the bird a Presidential pardon, taking a cue from the animal rights activists picketing nearby. The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is a time-honored American tradition, which is marking its 71st year since the ceremony first took place in 1947.
9. What is a baby turkey called?
Newly hatched turkeys are called poults, and here’s the difference. “Chicks” are hatchlings that are not yet mobile. Most birds, like songbirds and raptors, nest in trees. When their eggs hatch, the chicks are “altricial.” They are featherless and blind, squawking for food and warmth.
10. When do Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, sometimes called Canadian Thanksgiving to distinguish it from the American holiday of the same name, is an annual Canadian holiday, occurring on the second Monday in October, which celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year.
11. Which of these traditional Christmas songs was originally a Thanksgiving song?
“Jingle Bells” is a classic song sung at Christmas time, but it didn’t start out that way. First published in 1857, it was written by James Lord Pierpont, to be sung on Thanksgiving — not Christmas.
12. The most frequently reported Thanksgiving-related injury is…
According to State Farm Insurance claims data, more cooking-related fires occur on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year.
13. Which state produces more turkeys than any other?
In terms of cash receipts, the top five turkey-producing States in 2010 were Minnesota, North Carolina, Missouri, Indiana, and Arkansas. The United States is by far the world’s largest turkey producer, followed by the European Union.
14. During which historic event did Thanksgiving become a recurring federal holiday?
Though George Washington had called for days of national thanksgiving, it was Abraham Lincoln who gave us the annual holiday. In an October 1863 proclamation of the holiday, he wrote: “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
15. Which of these combinations includes only real locations in the United States?
Turkey, Texas; Cranberry Township, Pa.; Spuds, Fla.; and Pie Town, N.M., are all places you could visit. We sprinkled in a few other real locations, including Roll, Ariz., and Yum Yum, Tenn.
16. Among current NFL franchises, which is the only one to have never played a game on Thanksgiving?
The Jaguars, who joined the league in 1995, have never played on the holiday. Among the 31 other teams, the Rams have endured the longest drought since their last appearance, which came in the 1975 season.
17. Which character has more appearances than any other as a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon?
Snoopy, who first appeared as an aviator in 1968, is scheduled to make his 41st flight in 2020.
18. What culture produced the idea of the cornucopia, the horn of plenty?
The cornucopia is very prevalent in Greek mythology. With one origin story having baby Zeus breaking off a horn from a divine goat that was suckling him. Another origin story has Heracles ripping off the horn of a river god named Achelous. The cornucopia then became associated with several Greek and Roman deities.
19. Where is the only place in Australia where Thanksgiving is celebrated?
The custom was brought to Norfolk Island by an American whaling ships that got stuck on the island. The rest of Australia doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving.
20. According to the Butterball corporation, they recommend that you thaw a wrapped turkey in the refrigerator how long per 4 pounds of bird?
One Day per 4 Lbs. Butterball says that once the turkey is done, you should let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.
21. The first department store to hold a Thanksgiving parade was:
The idea of a store-sponsored Thanksgiving parade did not originate with Macy’s, however, but with Philadelphia’s Gimbel Brothers Department Store, which first staged a Thanksgiving procession in 1920 with 50 people, 15 cars and a fireman dressed as Santa Claus who ushered in the Christmas shopping season.
22. The Indians who were invited to the Thanksgiving feast were of the Wampanoag tribe. Who was their chief?
Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag tribe, signed a treaty with the Pilgrams in 1621, that was never broken. As a result, the two groups enjoyed a peaceful coexistence. By early 1621, the Pilgrims had built crude huts and a common house on the shores of Plymouth Bay.
23. What was the original name for the pilgrims?
The Pilgrims is the name for the early settlers of the Plymouth Colony, which is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. These people referred to themselves as Separatists. Most of them were either Methodists or Puritans. In 1620 they traveled from England on a ship called the Mayflower.
24. The word turkey is said to come from the Hebrew word “Tukki“ which means:
The word ‘turkey’ is said to come from the Hebrew word ‘Tukki’ which means ‘Big Bird’ or ‘Pheasant Bird’ or ‘Indian chicken’.
25. The first Thanksgiving football game was started in 1934 by which team?
The Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day heritage gained national attention in another way, starting with the very first game in 1934. Knowing the publicity potential of radio, Richards along with NBC Radio, set up a 94-station network to broadcast the Lions-Bears showdown.
