Families
Thanksgiving Jeopardy
The 1621 harvest, the food, the parade, game day and the calendar, for kids and adults to play together.
The 1621 harvest
- 100The ship that carried the Pilgrims across the Atlantic in 1620What is the Mayflower?
- 200The Native people, led by Massasoit, who joined the Pilgrims’ 1621 harvest celebrationWho are the Wampanoag?
- 300The Pilgrims’ settlement, in what is now MassachusettsWhat is Plymouth (Plymouth Colony)?
- 400This Patuxet man, who learned English after being kidnapped and taken to Europe, showed the colonists how to plant corn with fishWho is Squanto (Tisquantum)?
- 500Edward Winslow wrote that Massasoit’s men went out and brought back five of these animalsWhat are deer?
On the table
- 100The big bird roasted for most Thanksgiving dinnersWhat is a turkey?
- 200The orange pie made from a big round squashWhat is pumpkin pie?
- 300Tart red berries cooked into a sauce to go with the turkeyWhat are cranberries (cranberry sauce)?
- 400Two people pull this forked turkey bone; whoever gets the bigger piece makes a wishWhat is the wishbone?
- 500This mix of bread, celery, onion and sage, cooked in the bird or beside it, is also called “dressing”What is stuffing?
The parade
- 100This New York department store has held a Thanksgiving parade since 1924What is Macy’s?
- 200These giant floating characters are walked down the street by teams holding ropesWhat are balloons?
- 300The parade traditionally ends with the arrival of this jolly personWho is Santa Claus?
- 400In 1927, this cartoon cat became the parade’s first giant balloonWho is Felix the Cat?
- 500The parade stopped from 1942 to 1944 because these two materials were needed for the warWhat are rubber and helium?
Game day and traditions
- 100The sport many families watch on TV on Thanksgiving afternoonWhat is (American) football?
- 200Since 1989, the US president has “pardoned” a turkey each year at this famous buildingWhat is the White House?
- 300The shopping day right after ThanksgivingWhat is Black Friday?
- 400This pro team from Michigan has hosted a Thanksgiving game almost every year since 1934Who are the Detroit Lions?
- 500This pro team from Texas has hosted a Thanksgiving game almost every year since 1966Who are the Dallas Cowboys?
Dates and the calendar
- 100US Thanksgiving falls in this monthWhat is November?
- 200US Thanksgiving always falls on this day of the weekWhat is Thursday?
- 300Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday of this monthWhat is October?
- 400DDThis president proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863, during the Civil WarWho is Abraham Lincoln?
- 500In 1941, this president signed the law fixing Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday of NovemberWho is Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)?
Final round: Thanksgiving history
This magazine editor wrote to five presidents over 17 years asking for a national Thanksgiving, until Lincoln proclaimed one
Who is Sarah Josepha Hale?