Thanksgiving is one of America’s oldest and most beloved holidays. The annual celebration has a storied history of overcoming extreme hardship to thrive in a new life. The holiday has become a cultural touchstone for most Americans and is one of the biggest travel days of the year and the official start of the fall and winter holiday season. So you can show off your history-buffness at the Thanksgiving table this year, here are some Thanksgiving trivia questions and answers to impress with.
Best Thanksgiving Trivia Questions and Answers
Question: How long was the first Thanksgiving celebration?
Answer: Three days
Question: What meats were served at the first Thanksgiving celebration?
Answer: Venison, swan, duck and goose were likely—not turkey!
Question: What seafood was served at the first Thanksgiving feast?
Answer: Lobster, oysters, fish and possibly eel
Question: Who was the first President to pardon a turkey?
Answer: John F. Kennedy
Question: Which President made turkey pardoning an annual event?
Answer: George H.W. Bush
Question: How many calories on average are consumed, per person, at Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer: 4,500
Question: How much did the world’s most expensive Thanksgiving dinner on record cost?
Answer: $150,000 at New York City’s Old Homestead Steakhouse
Question: When was the first Thanksgiving football game?
Answer: 1876
Question: When was the first Thanksgiving NFL game?
Answer: 1920
Question: Who was the first President to receive a ceremonial Thanksgiving Turkey?
Answer: Harry S. Truman
Question: How many women were at the very first Thanksgiving celebration?
Answer: Five
Question: Which President made Thanksgiving a permanent national holiday?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln
Question: Which President first ordered a national day of Thanksgiving?
Answer: George Washington
Question: Which President refused to celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson
Question: Which President declared two Thanksgivings in one year?
Answer: James Madison
Question: Which President tried to make Thanksgiving the third Thursday in November to help boost the economy for the holiday season?
Answer: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Question: Which President officially made Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of every November?
Answer: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Question: Which President received a live raccoon as a Thanksgiving present?
Answer: Calvin Coolidge
Question: What Native American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims?
Answer: The Wampanoag
Question: Which Native American friend to the settlers acted as an interpreter?
Answer: Squanto
Question: In what month did the very first Thanksgiving celebration likely take place?
Answer: September
Question: How many turkeys are prepared for Thanksgiving in America each year?
Answer: About 46 million
Question: What percent of Americans skip turkey on Thanksgiving?
Answer: About 12 percent
Question: When was the first Turkey Trot?
Answer: 1896
Question: Where was the first Turkey Trot?
Answer: Buffalo, New York
Question: How many Americans prefer Thanksgiving leftovers to Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer: About 80 percent
Question: When is Thanksgiving in Canada?
Answer: The second Monday in October
Question: About how many pumpkin pies are consumed every Thanksgiving?
Answer: About 50 million
Question: Black Friday is the biggest day of the year for what trade profession?
Answer: Plumbers
Question: Do Americans prefer apple pie or pumpkin pie?
Answer: Apple pie
Question: What turkeys actually gobble?
Answer: Male turkeys
Question: Sarah Josepha Hale, who campaigned for Thanksgiving to be a national holiday, wrote what famous song?
Answer: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
Question: When was green bean casserole introduced to Thanksgiving dinners?
Answer: 1955
Question: During which Revolutionary War battle did troops have a day of Thanksgiving?
Answer: The Battle of Saratoga
Question: What city has the oldest Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Answer: Philadelphia
Question: Which city’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ends with Santa Claus getting a key to the city?
Answer: Detroit
Question: What 18-minute monologue is performed on many rock and classic rock stations every Thanksgiving?
Answer: Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant”
Question: What year did Adam Sandler release “The Thanksgiving Song?”
Answer: 1992
Question: What year did the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade first have balloons?
Answer: 1928
Question: On average, how many people attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade each year?
Answer: About 3.5 million
Question: How many people participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade each year?
Answer: About 8,000
Question: Black Friday isn’t the only holiday the day after Thanksgiving. What’s the other?
Answer: Native American Heritage Day
Question: What popular song’s real title is “The New England Boy’s Song About Thanksgiving Day”?
Answer: “Over the River and Through the Woods”
Question: According to the Guinness Book of World Records, how much does the heaviest turkey on record weigh?
Answer: 86 pounds
Question: How much does the average Thanksgiving turkey weigh?
Answer: About 15 pounds
Question: What state consumes the most turkey every Thanksgiving?
Answer: California
Question: When did canned cranberries first come about?
Answer: 1912
Question: What meat is the most popular alternative to turkey on Thanksgiving?
Answer: Ham
Question: Statistically, what is Americans’ favorite Thanksgiving side dish?
Answer: Stuffing