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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 2 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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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 of the following U.S. presidents issued Thanksgiving proclamations while the nation was engaged in a major war?

    Answer: James Madison

    James Madison issued Thanksgiving proclamations during the War of 1812, calling for national days of prayer and thanksgiving in both 1812 and 1815.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. What is the traditional base ingredient of cornbread in Southern American cooking?

    Answer: Cornmeal, often with little or no wheat flour

    Traditional Southern cornbread is made primarily from cornmeal—often with buttermilk and little to no wheat flour—resulting in a denser, more intensely corn-flavored bread than Northern-style versions that use more wheat flour.

  2. Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on which date each year?

    Answer: The second Monday of October

    Canadian Thanksgiving is observed annually on the second Monday of October, earlier than the American date, partly because the northern harvest season concludes sooner.

  3. Which of these Thanksgiving side dishes is most associated with the Midwestern United States?

    Answer: Green bean casserole

    Green bean casserole became a widespread American staple especially in the Midwest, where Campbell's cream of mushroom soup was a pantry staple and the dish offered a convenient, economical way to feed a crowd.

  4. Which European nation's settlers in what is now the continental United States held a recorded thanksgiving observance that predates the 1621 Plymouth event?

    Answer: Spain

    Spanish settlers in St. Augustine, Florida, held a thanksgiving Mass and communal meal in September 1565, more than 50 years before the Plymouth harvest gathering.

  5. What is the common name for the red berry traditionally served as a sauce or relish alongside Thanksgiving turkey?

    Answer: Cranberry

    Cranberries are the traditional berry served at Thanksgiving, prepared as a sauce, relish, or jelly to complement the savory flavors of turkey and other holiday dishes.

Daily round

  1. Which of the following is a traditional component of a Southern-style relish tray at Thanksgiving?

    Answer: Olives, pickles, and raw vegetables such as celery sticks

    A classic relish tray typically offers an assortment of olives, various pickles, and crisp raw vegetables like celery, carrot sticks, and radishes, serving as a light appetizer before the main meal.

  2. 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.

  3. What is the main purpose of brining a turkey before roasting?

    Answer: To increase moisture retention and enhance seasoning penetration

    A wet or dry brine dissolves some of the turkey's muscle proteins, allowing the meat to retain more moisture during cooking while also carrying salt and aromatics deeper into the flesh.

  4. 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.

  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. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Which compound in turkey is often incorrectly blamed for causing post-meal drowsiness?

    Answer: Tryptophan

    Although turkey contains tryptophan—an amino acid the body uses to produce serotonin and then melatonin—the drowsiness after a large Thanksgiving meal is more likely caused by the general caloric load, carbohydrates, and alcohol than by tryptophan alone, as many other foods contain comparable or higher amounts.

  5. The giant balloon characters in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade were first introduced in which year?

    Answer: 1927

    The first giant balloons appeared in the Macy's parade in 1927, replacing live animals from the Central Park Zoo that had been part of earlier processions.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  2. What is the primary role of the "bloom" (gelatin) found in canned jellied cranberry sauce?

    Answer: It helps the sauce hold its molded cylinder shape after opening

    Jellied cranberry sauce contains pectin (naturally occurring in cranberries) that gels the sauce into its characteristic solid cylinder shape, allowing it to be sliced and served in rounds that retain their form on the plate.

  3. Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation was primarily drafted by which member of his cabinet?

    Answer: William Seward

    Secretary of State William H. Seward is generally credited with drafting the text of Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation, which was then signed by the president.

  4. 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.

  5. Which of the following Canadian provinces does NOT recognize Thanksgiving as a statutory holiday?

    Answer: Nova Scotia

    Nova Scotia, along with New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, does not designate Thanksgiving as a statutory holiday, although many employers choose to observe it.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  2. The wild turkey, native to North America, is one of two species of turkey in the world. What is the other species?

    Answer: Ocellated turkey

    The Ocellated turkey is the second species of turkey, found primarily in the Yucatán Peninsula region of Mexico and parts of Central America, known for its eye-catching iridescent feathers.

  3. 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.

  4. On which day of the week does Canadian Thanksgiving consistently fall each year?

    Answer: Second Monday of October

    Since 1957, Canadian Thanksgiving has been observed on the second Monday of October, providing a long weekend for harvest-season observances.

  5. Which New England state produces the majority of cranberries harvested in the United States for Thanksgiving consumption?

    Answer: Massachusetts

    Massachusetts is the leading cranberry-producing state and home to the Cape Cod region where cranberry bogs have been harvested for generations, supplying much of the fruit used at Thanksgiving.

Daily round

  1. Which Canadian city hosts a major annual November parade that is closely associated with the Thanksgiving and holiday season?

    Answer: Toronto

    Toronto hosts the annual Santa Claus Parade in November, closely tied to the Thanksgiving weekend, and it is one of the largest parades in North America.

  2. The wattle is a distinctive fleshy appendage found on which part of a turkey?

    Answer: The head and neck

    A turkey's wattle is the fleshy, wrinkled skin that hangs from the head and neck area, and along with the snood, is one of its most recognizable features.

  3. 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.

  4. The first official national Thanksgiving holiday in Canada was proclaimed in which year?

    Answer: 1879

    Canada's first official national Thanksgiving was proclaimed on November 6, 1879, though the date has shifted several times before settling on the second Monday of October in 1957.

  5. Which of the following best describes the shared civic purpose of Thanksgiving proclamations in both the United States and Canada?

    Answer: Declaring a day of national gratitude and reflection

    Thanksgiving proclamations in both nations have historically served to set aside a day for collective gratitude and reflection, inviting citizens to give thanks for blessings and prosperity.