65 Thanksgiving trivia facts that the whole family will love

Thanksgiving is a time for family, food, and a little friendly competition. Whether you're hosting a turkey-day trivia night or just want to impress your relatives with fun facts over pumpkin pie, we've gathered 65 Thanksgiving trivia questions and answers for all ages. From historical firsts to food facts and football, this list covers it all.

Ready to test your knowledge?

Historical Thanksgiving trivia

1. When was the first Thanksgiving celebrated? Answer: 1621

2. Which Native American tribe helped the Pilgrims? Answer: The Wampanoag

3. How long did the first Thanksgiving last? Answer: Three days

4. What year did Thanksgiving become a national holiday? Answer: 1863

5. Which U.S. president made it a national holiday? Answer: Abraham Lincoln

6. Who was the woman who lobbied for Thanksgiving to become a holiday? Answer: Sarah Josepha Hale

7. What utensil was not used by the Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving? Answer: Fork — Pilgrims ate with spoons, knives, and their hands. Forks weren’t common in the colonies until the 18th century.

8. Which president refused to recognize Thanksgiving? Answer: Thomas Jefferson

9. What war was happening when Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday? Answer: The Civil War

10. What is the day after Thanksgiving commonly called? Answer: Black Friday

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Food-themed Thanksgiving trivia

1. What is the most popular Thanksgiving side dish in the U.S.? Answer: Mashed potatoes

2. How many turkeys are cooked each Thanksgiving in the U.S.? Answer: Around 46 million

3. What U.S. state produces the most cranberries each year? Answer: Wisconsin

4. What percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving? Answer: About 88%

5. What’s the most popular Thanksgiving pie? Answer: Pumpkin pie

6. How many calories does the average person consume on Thanksgiving? Answer: About 3,000 to 4,500

7. What is "stuffing" called in the South? Answer: Dressing

8. What is the red thing on a turkey's beak called? Answer: Snood

9. What popular Thanksgiving food is made from marshmallows and sweet potatoes? Answer: Sweet potato casserole

10. What fruit is used to make a traditional Thanksgiving sauce? Answer: Cranberries

11. Which U.S. state raises the most turkeys each year? Answer: Minnesota

Pop culture & modern trivia

1. Which department store hosts the famous Thanksgiving Day Parade? Answer: Macy's

2. What year did the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade start? Answer: 1924

3. Which cartoon character is a balloon in the Macy’s Parade and has appeared the most? Answer: Snoopy

4. What was the first balloon character in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Answer: Felix the Cat (in 1927)

5. What NFL teams always play on Thanksgiving Day? Answer: Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys

6. What TV show popularized the "Friendsgiving" concept? Answer: Friends

7. Which animated movie has a time-traveling turkey? Answer: Free Birds

8. What animated Thanksgiving special has aired annually on TV since 1973 and is still shown today? Answer: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

9. What Thanksgiving-themed song by Adam Sandler became a cult classic after its debut on Saturday Night Live in 1992? Answer: “The Thanksgiving Song”

10. What city has hosted the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the U.S., even older than Macy’s? Answer: Philadelphia — the Gimbels Parade started in 1920 and is now the 6ABC Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade.

11. What company runs a Turkey Talk-Line each Thanksgiving to help home cooks with turkey questions? Answer: Butterball

Kids and classroom-friendly trivia

1. What is the name of the ship the Pilgrims sailed on? Answer: The Mayflower

2. What do many people break for good luck on Thanksgiving? Answer: The wishbone

3. What is a baby turkey called? Answer: A poult

4. What do you call a group of turkeys? Answer: A rafter

5. What is a male turkey called? Answer: A tom or a gobbler. 

6. What part of the turkey changes color when the bird gets excited or scared? Answer: Its head — it can turn red, white, or blue

Fill-in-the-blank Thanksgiving trivia

1. The Pilgrims landed in ________ Rock. Answer: Plymouth

2. Thanksgiving is always on the _______ Thursday in November. Answer: Fourth

3. ________ Pie is made from a nut and corn syrup. Answer: Pecan

4. The Macy’s Parade ends with _______ Claus. Answer: Santa

5. _______ potatoes are often served with gravy. Answer: Mashed

6. The Native American who helped Pilgrims was named _______. Answer: Squanto

True or false Thanksgiving trivia

1. Turkey was the main dish at the first Thanksgiving. Answer: False

2. The first Macy’s parade had live animals from the zoo. Answer: True

3. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving too. Answer: True (but in October!)

4. Pumpkin pie was served at the first Thanksgiving. Answer: False

5. There are more turkeys than people in the U.S. Answer: False

6. Thanksgiving was once moved up a week to help the economy. Answer: True (by FDR in 1939)

7. The wishbone tradition comes from ancient Rome. Answer: False, it comes from the Etruscans. 

8. Turkeys can fly. Answer: True (wild turkeys can)

9. The average turkey weighs 15 pounds. Answer: True

10. The NFL started playing games on Thanksgiving in the 1960s. Answer: False (It started in 1934)

Fun facts to share at the table

1. The heaviest turkey ever raised weighed 86 pounds.

2. The first TV dinner was invented using leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

3. Turkeys can see in color and have a 270-degree field of vision.

4. The cranberry bounce test determines if they’re ready to sell (they bounce if ripe).

5. A turkey's gobble can be heard up to a mile away.

6. Americans eat 80 million pounds of cranberries each Thanksgiving.

7. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade uses more than 300 pounds of glitter.

8. The first NFL Thanksgiving game featured the Lions vs. the Bears.

9. It takes 75 to 80 pounds of feed to raise a 30-pound turkey.

10. The day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for plumbers.

11. Thanksgiving leftovers inspired the beloved "moist maker" sandwich in the tv show Friends.

Make it a memory: Turn trivia into a tradition!

Thanksgiving is all about connection, and a round of trivia is a great way to bring everyone together. Print out the list or read the questions aloud at the table. Choose a quizmaster, split into teams, and play for points or just for fun. However you do it, you’ll turn a few fun facts into a tradition worth repeating long after the leftovers are gone.

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This blog post is provided "as is" and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Some content in this post may have been created using artificial intelligence; however, every blog post is reviewed by at least two human editors.