Every Thanksgiving has a gap: dinner is over, pie isn't ready, and someone is about to bring up politics. Trivia fills that gap. It gets the whole table talking, the kids can join in, and it gives your competitive uncle somewhere useful to put his energy.
Below are 76 Thanksgiving trivia questions in five rounds: history, food, football, the Macy's parade and a kids round. Answers are hidden until you tap them, so one person can read from a phone. For extra rounds on any topic, the Trivia Question Generator writes new questions at the difficulty you pick.
How to Play at the Table
- Teams: split by side of the table, by generation, or kids against adults with the kids getting the kids round.
- Scoring: one point per answer, two for the football round if you have sports fans who think it's too easy.
- Pace: one round per course break. Five rounds is enough for the whole day.
- Prize: the winning team picks the first slice of pie.
Thanksgiving History Trivia
1. In what year did the harvest feast often called the 'first Thanksgiving' take place?
Reveal Answer
1621, at Plymouth Colony.
2. What was the name of the ship that carried the Pilgrims to North America?
Reveal Answer
The Mayflower.
3. In what year did the Mayflower arrive?
Reveal Answer
1620.
4. Which Wampanoag leader attended the 1621 harvest celebration?
Reveal Answer
Massasoit, also known as Ousamequin.
5. Which Patuxet man, who spoke English, helped the Pilgrims learn to grow corn?
Reveal Answer
Tisquantum, better known as Squanto.
6. About how many Wampanoag men came to the 1621 feast?
Reveal Answer
About 90, according to Pilgrim Edward Winslow's account.
7. How many days did the 1621 celebration last?
Reveal Answer
Three days.
8. What meat did the Wampanoag guests bring to the 1621 feast?
Reveal Answer
Venison. Winslow wrote that they killed five deer.
9. Which colony did the Pilgrims found?
Reveal Answer
Plymouth Colony, in what is now Massachusetts.
10. Which president issued the first national Thanksgiving proclamation under the Constitution, in 1789?
Reveal Answer
George Washington.
11. Which president made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863?
Reveal Answer
Abraham Lincoln.
12. Which writer and magazine editor campaigned for 17 years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday?
Reveal Answer
Sarah Josepha Hale, who also wrote 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.'
13. Which president moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in 1939, a change critics nicknamed 'Franksgiving'?
Reveal Answer
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
14. In what year did Congress fix Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday of November?
Reveal Answer
1941.
15. Which president made the White House turkey pardon an official annual tradition in 1989?
Reveal Answer
George H. W. Bush.
16. On which day does Canada celebrate Thanksgiving?
Reveal Answer
The second Monday in October.
Thanksgiving Food Trivia
17. Which US state raises the most turkeys?
Reveal Answer
Minnesota.
18. What is a male turkey called?
Reveal Answer
A tom (or gobbler). A female is a hen.
19. What is the fleshy flap that hangs over a turkey's beak called?
Reveal Answer
The snood. The flap under the chin is the wattle.
20. What is the forked bone two people pull apart to make a wish?
Reveal Answer
The wishbone, or furcula.
21. Who created green bean casserole, and for which company?
Reveal Answer
Dorcas Reilly, in the Campbell's test kitchen in 1955.
22. What's the difference between stuffing and dressing?
Reveal Answer
Stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is baked separately in a dish (though many families use the words the other way round).
23. What internal temperature does the USDA say turkey must reach to be safe?
Reveal Answer
165°F (74°C).
24. How long does a frozen turkey take to thaw in the fridge, roughly?
Reveal Answer
About 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds.
25. What is a turducken?
Reveal Answer
A chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey.
26. Which tart red berry, native to North America, is a classic Thanksgiving side?
Reveal Answer
The cranberry.
27. Which side dish is often topped with marshmallows?
Reveal Answer
Sweet potato casserole.
28. Name three spices commonly found in pumpkin pie spice.
Reveal Answer
Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, often with cloves or allspice.
29. Which nut pie is a Southern Thanksgiving favorite?
Reveal Answer
Pecan pie.
30. In what year did the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line start taking calls?
Reveal Answer
1981.
31. Which part of the turkey is white meat: the breast or the thigh?
Reveal Answer
The breast. Thighs and drumsticks are dark meat.
32. Which root vegetable is mashed with butter and served alongside gravy at most Thanksgiving tables?
Reveal Answer
Potatoes.
Want a round in the style of a game show instead? The Family Feud Questions Generator writes "we surveyed 100 people" questions, and our list of Family Feud questions and answers has ready-made boards.
Thanksgiving Football Trivia
33. Which two NFL teams host a game every Thanksgiving?
Reveal Answer
The Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys.
34. In what year did the Lions play their first Thanksgiving game?
Reveal Answer
1934.
35. Who did the Lions play in that first Thanksgiving game?
Reveal Answer
The Chicago Bears.
36. The Lions' owner who started the tradition also owned which Detroit radio station?
Reveal Answer
WJR. George A. Richards owned both.
37. In what year did the Cowboys first host a Thanksgiving game?
Reveal Answer
1966.
38. How many NFL games are played on Thanksgiving now?
Reveal Answer
Three, including a night game.
39. Which broadcaster gave out a turkey leg to the standout players of his Thanksgiving games?
Reveal Answer
John Madden.
40. In the 1998 Steelers vs. Lions game, which running back was involved in the famous coin-toss mix-up?
Reveal Answer
Jerome Bettis.
41. Which Cowboys defensive lineman slid on the snow to touch a blocked field goal in 1993, handing Miami the win?
Reveal Answer
Leon Lett.
42. Which Jets quarterback ran into his own lineman's backside in the 2012 'Butt Fumble'?
Reveal Answer
Mark Sanchez.
43. The Alabama vs. Auburn rivalry game, often played Thanksgiving weekend, is called what?
Reveal Answer
The Iron Bowl.
44. Which two schools play the Egg Bowl?
Reveal Answer
Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
45. What's a family 'Turkey Bowl'?
Reveal Answer
A backyard or park pickup football game played on Thanksgiving.
46. Why did the Lions skip Thanksgiving games from 1939 to 1944?
Reveal Answer
World War II.
Macy's Parade Trivia
47. In what year was the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade held?
Reveal Answer
1924.
48. What did the first parade feature instead of giant balloons?
Reveal Answer
Live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo.
49. Which cartoon character was the first giant balloon, in 1927?
Reveal Answer
Felix the Cat.
50. Which character has appeared as a balloon more times than any other?
Reveal Answer
Snoopy.
51. Who traditionally arrives at the very end of the parade?
Reveal Answer
Santa Claus.
52. Which 1947 Christmas film opens at the Macy's parade?
Reveal Answer
Miracle on 34th Street.
53. During which years was the parade cancelled?
Reveal Answer
1942 to 1944, during World War II.
54. What gas fills the giant balloons?
Reveal Answer
Helium.
55. In the late 1920s, what happened to the balloons after the parade?
Reveal Answer
They were released into the sky, with a reward for anyone who found and returned one.
56. Where does the parade end?
Reveal Answer
At Macy's Herald Square on 34th Street.
57. Which TV network broadcasts the Macy's parade?
Reveal Answer
NBC.
58. Which city's Thanksgiving parade, started in 1920, claims to be the oldest in the US?
Reveal Answer
Philadelphia.
59. Roughly how many handlers does a large parade balloon need?
Reveal Answer
Often more than 50.
60. What's the name of the event the night before, when crowds watch the balloons get inflated?
Reveal Answer
The balloon inflation, held near the American Museum of Natural History.
Thanksgiving Trivia for Kids
Short questions that are easy to read aloud. Good for ages 5 to 10, or as a tiebreaker for the adults.
61. What sound does a turkey make?
Reveal Answer
Gobble gobble!
62. What do you call a baby turkey?
Reveal Answer
A poult.
63. Do only boy turkeys gobble?
Reveal Answer
Yes. Male turkeys gobble. Females make clucking and yelping sounds.
64. Can wild turkeys fly?
Reveal Answer
Yes, for short distances. Farm turkeys are usually too heavy.
65. About how many feathers does a grown turkey have?
Reveal Answer
Around 5,000 to 6,000.
66. In which month is Thanksgiving in the United States?
Reveal Answer
November.
67. On which day of the week is Thanksgiving?
Reveal Answer
Thursday.
68. What orange vegetable do we carve at Halloween and bake into pie at Thanksgiving?
Reveal Answer
A pumpkin.
69. Which bird did Ben Franklin say was more respectable than the bald eagle?
Reveal Answer
The turkey.
70. What is the horn-shaped basket full of fruit and vegetables called?
Reveal Answer
A cornucopia, or horn of plenty.
71. Which animal does the president 'pardon' every year?
Reveal Answer
A turkey.
72. What color are ripe cranberries?
Reveal Answer
Red.
73. What do you call one whole piece of corn on the cob?
Reveal Answer
An ear of corn.
74. In 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,' what does Snoopy serve for dinner?
Reveal Answer
Toast, popcorn, pretzel sticks and jelly beans.
75. In which state is Plymouth Rock?
Reveal Answer
Massachusetts.
76. What do you say before eating the big meal on Thanksgiving?
Reveal Answer
Any answer about saying thanks or grace counts. Give everyone a point.
More Games for the Day
Ran through all 76? The Random Trivia Generator serves up questions on random topics for a lightning round, and our 100+ general trivia questions and answers cover eight more categories. For a themed round, type "autumn," "Pilgrims" or your family's favorite movie into the Trivia Question Generator.
And if a single cousin at the table is dreading the "so, are you seeing anyone?" question, send them our guide to free AI dating tools before the holidays.
Trivia Question Generator
Trivia on any topic, at the difficulty you pick.
Family Feud Questions Generator
Survey-style questions for a Family Feud round.
AI Random Trivia Generator
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play Thanksgiving trivia at dinner?
Split the table into two or three teams, have one person read questions from a phone, and give a point per correct answer. Play one round between the main course and dessert so it does not drag. The kids round works well as a tiebreaker.
What is a good Thanksgiving trivia question for kids?
Simple questions with a fun answer work best, such as "What do you call a baby turkey?" (a poult) or "Which bird did Ben Franklin praise over the bald eagle?" (the turkey). Keep them short enough to read aloud in one breath.
When was the first Thanksgiving?
The harvest feast usually called the first Thanksgiving took place in the fall of 1621 at Plymouth Colony, shared by the Pilgrims and about 90 Wampanoag men. Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863 under Abraham Lincoln.
How can I make my own Thanksgiving trivia questions?
Use the NavioHQ Trivia Question Generator: enter "Thanksgiving" or a narrower topic such as "Thanksgiving football" and pick a difficulty. You can also add a round about your own family, like who burned the rolls last year.
Bookmark this page, split the table into teams, and play the history round between turkey and pie. When your family wants a rematch next year, the Trivia Question Generator will have new questions ready.
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