Thanksgiving is about a month away, so let’s warm up with nine questions about how the holiday began and how our traditions grew. Take your best guess, and enjoy the little stories in each explanation.
In 1621, the Pilgrims at Plymouth shared an autumn harvest feast with members of which Native American nation?
Which magazine editor spent decades campaigning for a national Thanksgiving holiday, even writing to President Lincoln in 1863?
In his 1863 proclamation, Abraham Lincoln set aside which day for Thanksgiving?
In 1941, Congress and President Franklin Roosevelt settled the date of Thanksgiving as which day?
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City began in which year?
Which NFL team has played on Thanksgiving Day since 1934, apart from a break during the 1940s?
Which president began the annual tradition of formally "pardoning" a turkey at the White House in 1989?
Only one kind of wild turkey makes the classic "gobble" sound. Which one?
Which state grows the most cranberries in the United States?
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How to Play
- Tap the answer you think is right for each question.
- Press Check to see if you’re right; a short explanation follows.
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Why We Gather in November
Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday overnight. It took decades of letters, a presidential proclamation in the middle of the Civil War, and finally an act of Congress to fix the date we use today.
Sources
- HISTORY: History of Thanksgiving
- National Park Service: Lincoln and Thanksgiving
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Thanksgiving and the NFL
- White House Historical Association: History of White House Thanksgiving Traditions
- Old Farmer’s Almanac: Why Do Turkeys Gobble?
- Milwaukee Magazine: Wisconsin Produces 59% of America’s Cranberries