24 Thanksgiving trivia questions & answers for students

Students look forward to the annual Thanksgiving holiday every year, and not just because it’s a day off from school. Thanksgiving is full of unique traditions like the Presidential Turkey Pardon, Black Friday, and even the semi-infamous Turducken. 

Not all students will celebrate Thanksgiving the same way, and the holiday can take on additional or different meanings for students in immigrant families and indigenous Americans. That’s why I divided the trivia into three categories: historical, holiday-related, and fun facts. Whether your students know a lot about the holiday or are just discovering it with their families, there’s trivia here to capture their interest.

Historical trivia

1) When did the first Thanksgiving take place?

The oldest historical account of Thanksgiving comes from a letter written by Plymouth colonist Edward Winslow. In this letter, he recounted that the colony wished to “rejoyce together” after a good harvest in 1621. 

2) Where did the first Thanksgiving take place?

The first Thanksgiving occurred in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. The colony was established in 1620 by English settlers who arrived on the Mayflower. This region was the home of the Wampanoag Nation.

3) Who already lived in this region, and how did the settlers impact their lives? 

The Wampanoag Tribe or People of the First Light have lived in what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island for over 12,000 years. Around 40,000 people in 67 villages made up the Wampanoag Nation in the 1600s. 

The Wampanoag Nation suffered a severe smallpox epidemic from 1616-19 after exposure from the English settlers. This period is known as the “Great Dying”, and only a small fraction of the Wampanoag survived. 

4) Why did the Wampanoag and settlers have a feast?

This answer can be found in Edward Winslow’s letter too. Winslow said that the colonists celebrated the good harvest by shooting firearms, and the sound alerted their Wampanoag neighbors. When the Wampanoag came to investigate, they found celebration instead of battle. So they went on a hunt and brought deer for the feast, and the celebrations went on for three days.

5)  Did the first Thanksgiving really happen at Plymouth? 

Some historians argue that the first Thanksgiving actually happened 60 years earlier in Florida. The Spanish fleet planted a cross on the beach of St. Augustine (which is the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States). Eight hundred Spanish settlers celebrated by sharing a feast with the native Timicuan.

6) Why did the English settlers come to Plymouth in the first place?

The settlers were religious separatists who sought freedom from the Church of England. They’d already gone to the Netherlands (1607) to do this, but they wanted to retain their English heritage and find better economic opportunities in the “New World”. 

7) Who were the leaders of the colonists and Wampanoag during the first Thanksgiving?  

Governor William Bradford became the second Governor of Plymouth in April, 1621. Massasoit, also called Ousamequin, was the Chief Sachen of Wampanoag Nation.

8) Did the Wampanoag and English settlers stay friendly after the first Thanksgiving? 

Governor Bradford and Massaoit signed a peace treaty in 1621 that created a 40 year period of peace. 

9) Did the pilgrims eat turkey at the first Thanksgiving?

They ate venison, not turkey. However, Edward Winslow mentioned “wild fowl” on the menu, which could’ve been turkey. 

Holiday trivia

10) When did Americans begin celebrating ‘Thanksgiving Day’?

The Continental Congress designated at least one day of Thanksgiving a year during the American Revolution. In 1789, George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government, encouraging Americans to celebrate the success of the revolution. Other Presidents like John Adams and James Madison designed days of thanks, but it didn’t become a holiday until later.

New York became the first state to officially celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in 1817. 

11) Did everyone in America celebrate Thanksgiving before it became a national holiday?

No. In the 19th century, the holiday was celebrated on different days by different states. The American South was mostly unfamiliar with it, and it was unpopular during the Confederate Civil War period.

12) Who’s the “Mother of Thanksgiving”?

Sarah Josepha Hale, or “The Mother of Thanksgiving” was a writer and magazine editor who began campaigning for the holiday in 1827.  She campaigned for 36 years and wrote to countless politicians, senators, and even presidents.

13) How did Thanksgiving become a national holiday?

President Abraham Lincoln honored Hale’s request in 1863. He issued a proclamation at the height of the Civil War and hoped it would help “heal the wounds of the nation”. He made Thanksgiving the final Thursday in November.

14) Which President tried, and failed, to change the date of Thanksgiving Day?

President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the day forward a week in 1939. He did this to encourage retail sales during the Great Depression. However, his plan was met with resistance and it was dubbed “Franksgiving” by his critics. In 1941, he relented and signed a bill ensuring Thanksgiving would stay on the fourth Thursday of November.  

15) Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving day?

Sarah Hale, the Mother of Thanksgiving, is often credited with this too. She presented the turkey as a huge centerpiece of the Thanksgiving feast during her editorial campaigns, and she created many recipes for it as well.

16) Why does the president pardon a turkey every year?

Giving the president a turkey is a tradition that may date back to the 1870s, but President Henry Truman is often credited with beginning the annual tradition in 1947. The ceremony takes place in the Rose Garden every year, in which the president pardons the turkey and spares its life. 

Fun trivia

17) Who holds a Guinness World Record for both plucking and carving a Thanksgiving turkey?

Paul Kelly, a British turkey farmer, can carve a turkey in 3 minutes and 19.47 seconds, and pluck three turkeys in 11 minutes, 30.16 seconds.

18) What was the largest gathering of people dressed as turkeys in history?

661 people in turkey costumes gathered at the 44th Annual YMCA Turkey Trot in Dallas, Texas on November 14th, 2011.

19) Why do the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always play football on Thanksgiving? 

The match was originally a marketing scheme to get Detrioters more excited about their new football team in 1934. The Dallas Cowboys picked up the scheme in 1966, and the attendance record for that Lions vs. Cowboys game was so high that both teams have kept up the tradition ever since.

20) What hotline can you call for help when you have a Thanksgiving turkey emergency?

The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line is famous for connecting callers to turkey experts. If their line is busy, the US Department of Meat and Poultry Hotline is open until 2pm on Thanksgiving Day.

21) Does eating turkey make you sleepy?

Turkey may contain tryptophan, which some studies say can induce drowsiness. However, there isn’t enough tryptophan in turkey to affect humans. The grogginess is probably just the result of overeating.

22) Which city has the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade?

Philadelphia’s first Thanksgiving Day Parade occurred in 1920, and it’s still the longest continuously held Thanksgiving parade in America.

23) Do other countries celebrate Thanksgiving holidays?

Eleven other countries celebrate a Thanksgiving holiday, and each one has a unique history. Some examples include Liberia’s Thanksgiving, which commemorates when freed American slaves founded the nation in 1822, and the holiday of Erntedankfest that is celebrated throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. 

24) What exactly is a Turducken?

Thankfully the US Department of Agriculture is here to answer any Turducken-related queries. In short, a Turkducken is a stuffed chicken stuffed into a stuffed duck that’s stuffed into a stuffed turkey. Just make sure they’re all deboned first!

For more student-friendly resources on Thanksgiving, check out ClickView’s curated topic on Thanksgiving.

References

1. The National Endowment for the Humanities. (n.d.). Plymouth Colony and the Beginnings of Liberty in America: A Q&A with NEH Public Scholar John Turner. [online] Available at: https://www.neh.gov/blog/plymouth-colony-and-beginnings-liberty-america-qa-neh-public-scholar-john-turner. [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].
2. www.colonialwilliamsburg.org. (2023). When Was the First Thanksgiving? [online] Available at: https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/deep-dives/when-was-the-first-thanksgiving/. [Accessed 24 Jul. 2024].
3. Heinsohn, R.J., Ph.D (n.d.). Pilgrims and Wampanoag: The Prudence of Bradford and Massasoit. [online] sail1620.org. Available at: https://sail1620.org/Pilgrims_and_Wampanoag [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].
4. Essary, T. (2016). See the Evolution of the Presidential Turkey Pardon. [online] TIME. Available at: https://time.com/4575217/presidential-turkey-pardon/ [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024].