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Medium Thanksgiving Trivia Questions
The medium questions from our thanksgiving set, 14 of them, each with the answer and an explanation below the game.
Keys 1-4 pick an answer, Enter moves on. Nothing is saved to an account.
The medium band moves into how the holiday was actually made: the president who proclaimed it, the editor who campaigned for it, the exact Thursday it sits on, and the two football teams that have hosted the day for generations. These are the facts that get skipped in the picture-book version.
14 medium thanksgiving trivia questions with answers
Which president made Thanksgiving an annual national observance in 1863?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln He issued the proclamation during the Civil War.
Which magazine editor campaigned for decades to make Thanksgiving a national holiday?
Answer: Sarah Josepha Hale She wrote to a succession of presidents before Lincoln agreed.
US Thanksgiving is fixed to which Thursday of November?
Answer: The fourth In most years the fourth Thursday is also the last one.
Canadian Thanksgiving falls on which day?
Answer: The second Monday of October It gives Canadians a three-day weekend in mid-autumn.
Which president moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in 1939, prompting the nickname Franksgiving?
Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt The aim was to lengthen the Christmas shopping season.
In which year was the Plymouth harvest feast held?
Answer: 1621 It came a year after the settlers landed.
In the American South, which grain commonly replaces bread in the stuffing?
Answer: Cornbread The dish is usually baked separately and called dressing there.
Which president issued the first national thanksgiving proclamation in 1789?
Answer: George Washington It was a one-off day of thanks, not an annual holiday.
Which English explorer's 1578 Arctic voyage is often cited as an early Canadian thanksgiving?
Answer: Martin Frobisher His crew gave thanks for surviving the crossing.
Which NFL team has hosted a Thanksgiving Day game since 1934?
Answer: Detroit Lions The tradition began as a way to draw crowds to the team.
Which second NFL team has hosted a Thanksgiving game every year since 1966?
Answer: Dallas Cowboys The league added the game to widen its holiday audience.
Which sweet vegetable casserole is often topped with marshmallows?
Answer: Sweet potato Marshmallow manufacturers promoted the pairing in the early 1900s.
The Macy's Thanksgiving parade began in which decade?
Answer: The 1920s Live zoo animals appeared in the earliest editions instead of balloons.
Which annual White House ceremony spares a bird from the dinner table?
Answer: The turkey pardon The spared birds are sent to a farm or educational site.
Answer key
- Abraham Lincoln
- Sarah Josepha Hale
- The fourth
- The second Monday of October
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- 1621
- Cornbread
- George Washington
- Martin Frobisher
- Detroit Lions
- Dallas Cowboys
- Sweet potato
- The 1920s
- The turkey pardon
How to play
- Pick a mode: multiple choice, true or false, a 60-second sprint, or the daily quiz.
- Answer with a tap, or press 1 to 4 on a keyboard. The right answer appears straight away with a line explaining it.
- Finish the round to see your score, copy the result grid, and step up a difficulty.
- Hosting a night? The full thanksgiving list and a separate answer key are printed below, and the print layout drops the game and keeps the paper.
Not in a quiz mood?
The question games are a different kind of round: no right answers, just prompts you read out and argue about. Would You RatherNever Have I EverTruth or DareThis or That