Thanksgiving Trivia: 100 Questions and Answers

Thanksgiving trivia is easiest in short rounds, and this list has 100 questions and answers, from easy ones a preschooler can shout out to hard ones for the grown-ups, each checked against a museum, archive, government or university source.

A good trivia game fills the gap between the parade and the pie, and it gives the kids’ table and the grandparents something to do together.

One note on the history. The 1621 harvest celebration at Plymouth, often called the “First Thanksgiving,” involved English colonists and Wampanoag people, and much of what many of us learned about it in school is legend. Every answer here was read in October 2026 on a primary or institutional source, and the popular myths appear only as true or false questions with the correction.

Key Takeaways

100 questions in 12 rounds, from little kids to a hard round for adults.
Every answer was checked on a museum, archive, government or university page.
Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November under a law signed on December 26, 1941.
Two famous facts are myths: Benjamin Franklin never proposed the turkey as the national bird, and tryptophan is not why you feel sleepy.
Keep rounds to 8 to 10 questions and play the kids’ rounds before the meal.

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Table of Contents

Thanksgiving Trivia at a Glance

Quick Answer

Thanksgiving trivia runs best in rounds of 8 to 10 questions. Start with the easy round for little kids and mix ages on every team. This page has 100 questions with answers in 12 rounds, and each table doubles as a read-aloud answer key.

The answers come from the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, the National Park Service, NASA, the USDA, Plimoth Patuxet Museums, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the White House Historical Association, The Canadian Encyclopedia and university extension pages. For a printable version, print this page or copy a round onto index cards. Between rounds, try our Thanksgiving jokes for kids or general trivia for kids.

Easy Thanksgiving Trivia for Kids

Round 1 is for pre-readers: read each question aloud and let the smallest players answer first. Round 2 suits elementary ages.

No.	Question	Answer
1	What sound does a turkey make?	Gobble.
2	In the United States, Thanksgiving is in which month?	November.
3	Thanksgiving always falls on which day of the week?	Thursday.
4	Do turkeys have fur or feathers?	Feathers.
5	What color are most ripe pumpkins?	Orange.
6	What color is a ripe cranberry?	Red.
7	Do wild turkeys sleep on the ground or up in trees?	Up in trees.
8	Pumpkins are mostly baked into which dessert?	Pie.

Round 1: easy questions for little kids.

No.	Question	Answer
9	Which ship carried the Pilgrims to New England in 1620?	The Mayflower.
10	How many days did the Mayflower spend at sea?	66 days.
11	How many passengers sailed on the Mayflower?	102.
12	Which Native people joined the English colonists at the 1621 harvest celebration in Plymouth?	The Wampanoag.
13	What does the name Wampanoag mean?	People of the First Light.
14	What is a baby turkey called?	A poult.
15	A grown male turkey is a tom. What is a grown female?	A hen.
16	Which president’s 1863 proclamation made Thanksgiving a yearly holiday?	Abraham Lincoln.

Round 2: kids’ round.

Thanksgiving History Trivia

This round sticks to the record. One letter is the main surviving account of the 1621 gathering, and the national holiday came more than two centuries later.

No.	Question	Answer
17	The 1621 harvest celebration is often called the “First Thanksgiving.” How long did it last?	Three days.
18	About how many Wampanoag men came with their leader, Massasoit?	About 90.
19	Massasoit was a sachem. What is a sachem?	A leader.
20	What did the Wampanoag men hunt and give to the English?	Five deer.
21	Whose letter is the main surviving record of the celebration?	Edward Winslow’s.
22	Plymouth was built at the site of which Wampanoag village?	Patuxet.
23	Which president proclaimed November 26, 1789, a national day of giving thanks?	George Washington.
24	Which magazine editor campaigned 36 years for a national Thanksgiving?	Sarah Josepha Hale.
25	Which president moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in 1939?	Franklin D. Roosevelt, to lengthen the Christmas shopping season.
26	When did the fourth Thursday of November become law?	December 26, 1941.

Round 3: history.

Thanksgiving Food Trivia and Turkey Facts

Much of the modern menu comes from plants, and one bird, first raised in the Americas.

No.	Question	Answer
27	Where were potatoes first domesticated?	South America, most likely Peru.
28	Corn was domesticated in Mexico from which wild grass?	Teosinte.
29	Are sweet potatoes and yams the same plant?	No. They are not botanically related.
30	Sweet potatoes share a plant family with which flower?	The morning glory.
31	Cranberries are native to which continent?	North America.
32	Why do cranberries float when a bog is flooded?	Each berry holds a pocket of air.
33	Which state does a USDA article call the Cranberry State?	Wisconsin.
34	Which three crops did the Wampanoag grow?	Corn, beans and squash.
35	Where does the word cranberry come from?	“Craneberry.” The blossom looked like a crane’s head and neck.
36	What safe minimum internal temperature does the USDA give for turkey?	165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Round 4: food.

No.	Question	Answer
37	What is the flap of skin over a turkey’s beak?	The snood.
38	What is the flap of skin under a turkey’s chin?	The wattle.
39	What is a young male turkey called?	A jake.
40	What is the stiff, hair-like tuft on a grown tom called?	A beard.
41	Wild turkeys live in every U.S. state but one. Which?	Alaska.
42	Can wild turkeys swim?	Yes, when they need to.
43	Where does a wild turkey hen build her nest?	On the ground.
44	Farm turkeys descend from birds first domesticated in which country?	Mexico.
45	Besides the turkey, what is the only other domesticated bird native to the Americas?	The Muscovy duck.
46	When threatened, which wild turkeys tend to fly and which tend to run?	Females fly, males run.

Round 5: turkey facts.

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Thanksgiving Parade and Football Trivia

No.	Question	Answer
47	In what year was the first Macy’s parade in New York City?	1924.
48	What was the parade first called?	The Macy’s Christmas Parade.
49	Where did the first parade’s live animals come from?	The Central Park Zoo.
50	Which cartoon cat was the first character balloon, in 1927?	Felix the Cat.
51	Which character has had the most parade balloons?	Snoopy.
52	When was the parade first televised nationally?	1947.
53	Which city held a Thanksgiving parade in 1920, before New York?	Philadelphia.
54	The Macy’s parade on November 26, 2026 is which edition?	The 100th.

Round 6: parade.

No.	Question	Answer
55	Which NFL team’s Thanksgiving home game dates to 1934?	The Detroit Lions.
56	Who beat the Lions in that 1934 game?	The Chicago Bears, 19 to 16.
57	What was the team called before it moved to Detroit?	The Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans.
58	Which team has played on Thanksgiving nearly every year since 1966?	The Dallas Cowboys.
59	Whom did the Cowboys beat on Thanksgiving Day in 1966?	The Cleveland Browns, 26 to 14.
60	The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Thanksgiving results start in which year?	1920.

Round 7: football.

Presidents, the Turkey Presentation and Thanksgiving Around the World

No.	Question	Answer
61	Which president received the National Turkey Federation’s first turkey, in 1947?	Harry S. Truman.
62	Which president made the turkey pardon a yearly tradition in 1989?	George H.W. Bush.
63	Which president’s son Tad begged him to spare a turkey?	Abraham Lincoln.
64	A poultry dealer from which state sent turkeys to the White House from the 1870s?	Rhode Island.
65	Which president spared a turkey in 1963?	John F. Kennedy.
66	In 1921 a turkey named Supreme II flew partway to the White House. What went wrong?	It got airsick.
67	Where do the presented turkeys go after the ceremony?	To a university, where veterinarians and students care for them.

Round 8: presidents and the turkey presentation.

No.	Question	Answer
68	When is Thanksgiving in Canada?	The second Monday in October (October 12 in 2026).
69	In what year did Canada’s Parliament fix that date?	1957.
70	In Canada, whose 1578 service of thanks is credited as the first by Europeans in North America?	Sir Martin Frobisher’s.
71	What is Thanksgiving called in Quebec?	Action de grâce.
72	Japan’s Labor Thanksgiving Day falls on which date?	November 23.
73	Which NASA crew spent the first Thanksgiving in space, in 1973?	Skylab 4.

Round 9: around the world, and above it.

Thanksgiving True or False and Multiple Choice Questions

The famous myths live in the true or false round. Read the statement, take a show of hands, then read the answer.

No.	Question	Answer
74	Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird.	False. He wrote that the turkey was more respectable than the bald eagle, but never proposed it.
75	The tryptophan in turkey is what makes you sleepy.	False. Harvard Health Publishing calls it a myth. A big meal is the likelier cause.
76	Cranberries grow underwater.	False. They grow on vines in marshes that are flooded for harvest.
77	Wild turkeys cannot fly.	False. They fly up into trees to roost.
78	Harry Truman was the first president to pardon a turkey.	False. The Truman Library has found no record of it.
79	Edward Winslow’s 1621 letter says turkey was served.	False. It mentions fowl and deer, never turkey.
80	Thanksgiving has always been the fourth Thursday of November.	False. Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation named the last Thursday.
81	Sarah Josepha Hale also wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”	True.
82	Wampanoag people still live in New England today.	True. About 4,000 to 5,000, says Plimoth Patuxet Museums.

Round 10: true or false.

No.	Question	Answer
83	How many men signed the Mayflower Compact? A) 21 B) 41 C) 102	B) 41.
84	In 1939, how many states moved Thanksgiving earlier with the president? A) 16 B) 32 C) 48	B) 32.
85	The first Space Shuttle Thanksgiving, in 1985, featured which dish? A) Roast goose B) Irradiated turkey C) Pumpkin soup	B) Irradiated turkey.
86	Which is in the pumpkin’s plant family? A) Cucumber B) Carrot C) Potato	A) Cucumber.
87	How many radio stations carried the Lions’ 1934 Thanksgiving game? A) 9 B) 49 C) 94	C) 94.
88	How many eggs are in a wild turkey’s clutch? A) 1 to 3 B) 4 to 17 C) 30 to 40	B) 4 to 17.
89	The oldest turkey fossils are more than how old? A) 5,000 years B) 50,000 years C) 5 million years	C) 5 million years.
90	How long does the USDA say refrigerated turkey leftovers keep? A) 1 to 2 days B) 3 to 4 days C) 7 to 10 days	B) 3 to 4 days.

Round 11: multiple choice.

Hard Thanksgiving Questions for Adults

Save this round for after the little ones are in bed.

No.	Question	Answer
91	Where had the Mayflower passengers planned to settle?	Near the mouth of the Hudson River.
92	Which English harvest festival did the colonists already know?	Harvest Home.
93	Lincoln signed the 1863 proclamation. Who wrote it?	Secretary of State William Seward.
94	In 1941 the Senate changed “last Thursday” to “fourth Thursday.” Why?	Some Novembers have five Thursdays.
95	According to a Smithsonian scientist, what was the first plant domesticated in the Americas?	The orange-skinned pumpkin, in Mexico.
96	Why did Macy’s stop releasing its balloons after 1932?	A stray balloon wrapped around an airplane’s wing.
97	Which Lions owner, a radio executive, launched the 1934 Thanksgiving game?	George A. Richards.
98	In which two years since 1966 did the Cowboys not play on Thanksgiving?	1975 and 1977.
99	What was the date of Canada’s first official annual Thanksgiving?	November 6, 1879.
100	Under USDA rules, a label that says “yam” must also say what?	Sweet potato.

Round 12: hard round.

How to Run a Trivia Game at the Thanksgiving Table

Mix the generations: put a grandparent, a teen and a little one on each team.
Keep rounds short: 8 to 10 questions per round, three or four rounds: one before the meal, one before dessert, one after.
Skip the buzzer: give each team a wooden spoon to raise, or let them answer with a gobble. A hand bell works too.
Keep a simple score sheet: team names across the top of a sheet of paper, round numbers down the side, one tally mark per correct answer.
Break ties with a number: ask a closest-guess question, such as how many passengers sailed on the Mayflower (102).

Pair each round with something active from our Thanksgiving games or Thanksgiving activities for kids.

Toddlers, Long-Distance Family and Prizes That Are Not Candy

Toddlers and pre-readers: turn Round 1 into yes or no and picture questions. Hold up a mini pumpkin and ask its color, or ask whether a turkey says moo. Every answer earns a cheer.
Long-distance version: on a video call, one host reads and keeps score. Teams hold up paper cards marked A, B and C for the multiple choice round.
Prizes: first pick of pie, choosing the movie, skipping dish duty, or a paper ribbon from our Thanksgiving crafts for kids.

For the youngest winners, skip candy and trinkets. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises keeping hard candy, nuts and popcorn from children until age 4 or older and lists balloons as a choking risk up to age 8. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission rules ban small parts in products intended for children under 3. Older kids can move on to would you rather questions for kids.

Protecting Naps and Bedtime on a Long Holiday

A long day, a car ride and a late dessert are hard on little sleepers. Three things help:

Plan the day around one protected nap (see nap length by age).
Play the kids’ rounds before the meal, while small players are fresh.
Run your usual toddler bedtime routine in the usual order, even if it starts late.

If your baby naps at a relative’s house, safe sleep rules still apply: alone, on their back, on a firm, flat, bare surface, with no pillows or blankets. The AAP says a baby who falls asleep in a car seat or stroller should be moved to a firm sleep surface as soon as possible.

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The Bottom Line

Pick three or four rounds, mix the ages on every team and keep it light. For questions that work any day, see our fun facts for kids and smarter than a 5th grader questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some good Thanksgiving trivia questions?

Good Thanksgiving trivia questions have one clear answer you can check. Try these: Which ship carried the Pilgrims? (The Mayflower.) Which Native people took part in the 1621 harvest celebration at Plymouth? (The Wampanoag.) Which cartoon cat was the first Macy’s character balloon? (Felix the Cat.)

What are easy Thanksgiving questions for kids?

Start with questions a preschooler can answer aloud: What sound does a turkey make? (Gobble.) What color is a ripe pumpkin? (Orange.) Elementary ages can try: What is a baby turkey called? (A poult.) How many days did the Mayflower spend at sea? (66.)

What food was eaten at the first Thanksgiving in 1621?

The main record of the 1621 harvest celebration, often called the first Thanksgiving, is a letter by colonist Edward Winslow. It says four men went fowling and that the Wampanoag men brought five deer. It never names turkey. The Wampanoag also grew corn, beans and squash.

Why is Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November?

Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation named the last Thursday of November. In 1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday a week earlier, and the states split over the date. Congress settled it with a resolution, signed on December 26, 1941, that fixed the fourth Thursday.

Does turkey really make you sleepy?

Not by itself. Harvard Health Publishing calls the turkey coma a medical myth: turkey has about as much tryptophan as chicken or beef. Feeling drowsy after Thanksgiving dinner is more likely the result of digesting a very large meal. Smaller portions and a walk help.

How do you play a Thanksgiving quiz game with the whole family?

Split into teams that mix ages, with a grandparent, a teen and a small child on each. Read 8 to 10 questions per round and play three or four rounds. Raise a wooden spoon instead of a buzzer, and keep tally marks on one sheet of paper.

Gentle changes, peaceful nights.

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