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Seven days of questions and answers

Thanksgiving Trivia Answers Archive

Review earlier daily rounds, reveal the correct answer, and use the short explanation to learn the fact behind each question. Page 12 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. Which president's 1863 proclamation is widely credited with establishing Thanksgiving as a regular annual U.S. holiday?

    Answer: Abraham Lincoln

    Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving proclamation in October 1863, during the Civil War, designating the last Thursday of November as a national day of gratitude.

  2. Before Lincoln's 1863 proclamation, how were national days of thanksgiving typically established in the United States?

    Answer: By individual presidential proclamations for specific occasions

    Prior to 1863, presidents issued ad hoc Thanksgiving proclamations for particular events such as military victories or abundant harvests, rather than establishing a recurring annual observance.

  3. What was the primary economic rationale Franklin D. Roosevelt gave for moving Thanksgiving earlier in 1939?

    Answer: To extend the holiday shopping season

    Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November to give retailers a longer holiday shopping period, hoping to stimulate the economy during the Great Depression.

  4. In which U.S. region is oyster stuffing, made with fresh oysters and breadcrumbs, a traditional Thanksgiving side dish?

    Answer: New England coastal areas

    Oyster stuffing has been a traditional Thanksgiving dish in New England coastal communities and other Atlantic coastal regions where fresh oysters were readily available during the autumn harvest season.

  5. What is the primary difference between a sweet potato and a true yam?

    Answer: Sweet potatoes are a root in the morning glory family while yams belong to the Dioscorea family

    Despite the interchangeable use of the names in American grocery stores, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) and true yams (Dioscorea species) are entirely different plants from separate botanical families.

Daily round

  1. At the first NFL Thanksgiving game in 1934, which team defeated the Chicago Bears in a matchup hosted by the Detroit Lions?

    Answer: Detroit Lions

    The Detroit Lions won their first Thanksgiving Day football game on November 22, 1934, defeating the Chicago Bears 19-16 before a sold-out crowd at the University of Detroit Stadium.

  2. In the American South, which dish combining cornmeal and a liquid, often served alongside Thanksgiving meals, is known by the term 'cornbread dressing'?

    Answer: A baked stuffing made with cornbread

    Cornbread dressing is a Southern-style stuffing made with crumbled cornbread as the base instead of bread cubes, popular at Thanksgiving tables across the American South.

  3. Which country celebrates Homowo, a traditional harvest festival of thanksgiving that involves sprinkling kpokpoi to honor ancestors and mark the end of a famine?

    Answer: Ghana

    Homowo is a harvest festival celebrated by the Ga people of Ghana's Greater Accra region, commemorating a historical famine and giving thanks through traditional food offerings and ceremonies.

  4. In the United States, the tradition of a presidential proclamation setting a specific date for Thanksgiving was established by which president?

    Answer: Abraham Lincoln

    Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863, during the Civil War, establishing the last Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving, partly influenced by Sarah Josepha Hale's decades of advocacy.

  5. Which U.S. state was the first to adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday by state legislation?

    Answer: New York

    New York State adopted an annual Thanksgiving holiday by law in 1817, making it one of the earliest states to formally establish the observance on a recurring basis.

Daily round

  1. What does the term "self-basting" mean when printed on a store-bought turkey label?

    Answer: The turkey has been pre-injected or pre-treated with a seasoned broth or fat solution

    A self-basting turkey has been pre-injected with a solution of broth, water, butter, or other seasonings intended to keep the meat moist during cooking, meaning additional basting is not necessary.

  2. Which country celebrates Thanksgiving on the third Thursday of November and traces the holiday to a 1969 decision by the late president to rename the National Day?

    Answer: Liberia

    Liberia celebrates Thanksgiving on the third Thursday of November, a tradition originating from the country's founding by freed American slaves who adapted the American holiday.

  3. The 1621 harvest gathering at Plymouth Colony is commonly described in historical accounts as lasting how many days?

    Answer: Three days

    Primary sources, including a letter by Edward Winslow, indicate that the 1621 harvest celebration at Plymouth lasted for three days and involved both the colonists and Wampanoag guests.

  4. In many Southern U.S. traditions, what distinguishes "dressing" from "stuffing"?

    Answer: Dressing is baked in a separate dish rather than inside the bird

    While the terms are often used interchangeably, many Southern cooks reserve "dressing" for the version baked in its own casserole dish, distinguishing it from "stuffing" that is cooked inside the turkey cavity.

  5. Which of the following spices is NOT a standard component of commercially prepared pumpkin pie spice?

    Answer: Cardamom

    Pumpkin pie spice blends typically contain cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice or cloves, but cardamom is not a standard inclusion in the classic American blend.

Daily round

  1. What is the function of a roasting rack when cooking a turkey in the oven?

    Answer: It elevates the turkey so hot air circulates underneath and the bottom does not boil in drippings

    A roasting rack lifts the turkey above the bottom of the pan, allowing ambient oven heat to reach the entire bird and preventing the underside from sitting in and steaming in its own juices, which promotes more even browning.

  2. Which group of early settlers is credited with bringing American-style Thanksgiving harvest customs to Canada?

    Answer: United Empire Loyalists

    United Empire Loyalists who emigrated from the United States during and after the American Revolution carried Thanksgiving customs, including harvest festival traditions, into Canada.

  3. What minimum internal temperature should a whole turkey reach to be considered safely cooked?

    Answer: 165°F (74°C)

    The USDA advises that poultry must reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) as measured with a food thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, wing, and breast.

  4. In what year did the Canadian Parliament fix Thanksgiving to its current position on the second Monday of October?

    Answer: 1957

    On January 31, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed that Thanksgiving would be observed annually on the second Monday of October, where it has remained ever since.

  5. The Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional harvest celebration of gratitude and reunion, is most prominently observed in which cultural tradition?

    Answer: Chinese

    The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is a major Chinese cultural holiday celebrating the harvest and family reunion, featuring mooncakes and lantern displays on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.

Daily round

  1. Which U.S. president first issued a nationwide Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789, calling for a day of gratitude and prayer?

    Answer: George Washington

    George Washington proclaimed November 26, 1789, as a day of national thanksgiving to acknowledge the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the establishment of the new federal government.

  2. Which grain was a staple crop cultivated by Indigenous peoples of the Northeast that became central to the Thanksgiving harvest narrative?

    Answer: Maize (corn)

    Maize, or corn, was one of the "Three Sisters" (along with beans and squash) cultivated by many Indigenous nations of eastern North America and occupies a central place in the agricultural history surrounding Thanksgiving.

  3. Green bean casserole, a common Thanksgiving side dish, was invented by which company's test kitchen in 1955?

    Answer: Campbell Soup Company

    Campbell Soup Company home economist Dorcas Reilly created the green bean casserole using cream of mushroom soup, green beans, and crispy fried onions as a simple dish that used ingredients most home cooks already had.

  4. In what year did the U.S. Congress permanently fix Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November?

    Answer: 1941

    Congress passed a joint resolution in December 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, officially designating the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day.

  5. What type of fat is most traditionally used to baste a roasting turkey?

    Answer: Melted butter spooned over the skin periodically

    Melted butter is the classic basting fat for roasting turkey, as its milk solids promote browning and its fat content helps the skin crisp while adding a rich flavor that complements the poultry.

Daily round

  1. Approximately how many spectators line the route of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City each year?

    Answer: 1 to 2 million

    An estimated 1 to 2 million people attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person along its 2.5-mile route through Manhattan annually.

  2. What safety concern is most commonly associated with outdoor turkey fryers?

    Answer: The high volume of hot oil can overflow and ignite if the turkey is wet

    When a partially frozen or wet turkey is lowered into hot oil, the water rapidly vaporizes and expands, causing the oil to boil over and potentially ignite, leading to severe burns and structure fires.

  3. Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation designated the holiday for which specific Thursday of November?

    Answer: The last Thursday

    Lincoln's proclamation designated the last Thursday of November as the day of national thanksgiving, which at the time could fall on either the fourth or fifth Thursday depending on the calendar.

  4. Which governor general of Canada issued the 1879 proclamation that began the tradition of annual national Thanksgiving observances?

    Answer: The Marquess of Lorne

    The Marquess of Lorne, Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883, issued the 1879 proclamation designating a national day of thanksgiving on November 6 of that year.

  5. What is the name of the traditional Thanksgiving football game rivalry between high schools in Springfield, Massachusetts, that began in 1894?

    Answer: The Turkey Bowl

    The Turkey Bowl is the long-standing Thanksgiving Day high school football rivalry in Springfield, Massachusetts, dating back more than a century.

Daily round

  1. According to primary source accounts, approximately how many Wampanoag guests attended the 1621 Plymouth harvest gathering?

    Answer: About 90

    Edward Winslow's firsthand account describes approximately 90 Wampanoag men, including their leader Massasoit, joining the colonists for the multi-day feast.

  2. Which explorer's 1578 thanksgiving ceremony in the Canadian Arctic is considered one of the earliest recorded North American thanksgiving observances?

    Answer: Martin Frobisher

    Martin Frobisher held a thanksgiving ceremony on Baffin Island in 1578 after enduring a perilous search for the Northwest Passage, predating many other North American thanksgiving events.

  3. Which Native American tribe historically cultivated the Three Sisters planting method of corn, beans, and squash together, a technique central to New England harvest traditions?

    Answer: Iroquois

    The Iroquois and other Haudenosaunee peoples developed the Three Sisters companion planting method, in which corn, beans, and squash support one another's growth in a single mound.

  4. Which of the following best describes the original purpose of the 1621 Plymouth gathering as recorded by the colonists themselves?

    Answer: A harvest celebration

    Edward Winslow's 1621 letter describes the gathering as a harvest celebration following a successful growing season, rather than a formal religious service or political event.

  5. During the 1939 Thanksgiving date controversy, approximately how many U.S. states chose to follow Roosevelt's revised earlier date?

    Answer: 23

    Only 23 of the 48 states adopted Roosevelt's earlier Thanksgiving date in 1939, while 23 kept the traditional last Thursday, creating a split that lasted through 1940.