Thanksgiving parade and football trivia

Thanksgiving traditions questions and answers

16 questions. Tap a question’s answer line to see it.

1. Which cartoon character was the first giant balloon in the Macy's parade, introduced in 1927?

   1. Snoopy
   2. Felix the Cat
   3. Popeye
   4. Mickey Mouse
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   B. Felix the Cat Balloons were a new addition in 1927, and Felix the Cat led the way as the first of them.

2. Traffic police in which city popularized 'Black Friday' as a name for post-Thanksgiving jams?

   1. Baltimore
   2. Pittsburgh
   3. Philadelphia
   4. New York
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   C. Philadelphia Officers there also spoke of 'Black Saturday,' and one merchant effort tried rebranding the day 'Big Friday.'

3. The first Macy's parade ended in front of the store at which New York square?

   1. Herald Square
   2. Times Square
   3. Union Square
   4. Madison Square
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   A. Herald Square About 10,000 people were waiting at the store to cheer when the first parade reached its finish.

4. Which president made the pre-Thanksgiving turkey pardon an official White House custom in 1989?

   1. Bill Clinton
   2. Jimmy Carter
   3. George H. W. Bush
   4. Ronald Reagan
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   C. George H. W. Bush Presidents had been receiving holiday turkeys for decades before the pardon itself became official.

5. Which NFL team began its tradition of hosting a game on Thanksgiving in 1934?

   1. The Chicago Bears
   2. The Green Bay Packers
   3. The Detroit Lions
   4. The Pittsburgh Steelers
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   C. The Detroit Lions The Lions hosted every Thanksgiving from 1934 through 1938, then picked the tradition back up in 1945 after a wartime break.

6. In what year did the National Dog Show start airing on NBC right after the Thanksgiving parade?

   1. 2012
   2. 2008
   3. 2002
   4. 1994
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   C. 2002 The 2000 comedy 'Best in Show' helped inspire NBC to slot the broadcast right after the parade starting in 2002.

7. In what year did the Macy's parade make its debut?

   1. 1912
   2. 1924
   3. 1931
   4. 1948
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   B. 1924 The first parade stepped off on Thanksgiving morning, November 27, 1924, and it became an annual tradition.

8. What does the word 'Friendsgiving' describe?

   1. The Friday after Thanksgiving
   2. A Thanksgiving feast with friends
   3. A food drive held in November
   4. A gift swap before Christmas
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   B. A Thanksgiving feast with friends Dictionary.com dates the word, a blend of 'friends' and 'Thanksgiving,' to the years 2005 to 2010.

9. Which team hosted its first Thanksgiving game in 1966, becoming the NFL's second regular holiday host?

   1. The Miami Dolphins
   2. The Dallas Cowboys
   3. The San Francisco 49ers
   4. The Houston Oilers
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   B. The Dallas Cowboys The league added a second Thanksgiving game in 1966 at the urging of television networks, and Dallas claimed it.

10. Who rode the final float, as guest of honor, in the first Macy's Thanksgiving parade?

    1. Mrs. Claus
    2. Santa Claus
    3. Mother Goose
    4. Uncle Sam
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    B. Santa Claus Macy's placed its guest of honor at the rear of the lineup, saving him for the parade's big finish.

11. In the late 1920s, what did Macy's do with its giant balloons when the parade was over?

    1. Sent them on a national tour
    2. Released them into the sky
    3. Deflated them for the next year
    4. Auctioned them off for charity
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    B. Released them into the sky Freed balloons carried a return address, and anyone who found one could claim a $100 reward from Macy's.

12. What was the Macy's Thanksgiving parade originally called?

    1. The Macy's Harvest Parade
    2. The Macy's Christmas Parade
    3. The Macy's Santa Claus Parade
    4. The Macy's Holiday Parade
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    B. The Macy's Christmas Parade Macy's employees organized the early parades, which carried a Christmas name even though they marched on Thanksgiving.

13. Which club's dog show, first held in 1879, became the National Dog Show of Thanksgiving television?

    1. The Westminster Kennel Club
    2. The American Kennel Club
    3. The Kennel Club of Philadelphia
    4. The Kennel Club of Chicago
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    C. The Kennel Club of Philadelphia The Philadelphia club ran its show for over a century before it found a national holiday TV audience.

14. Which cartoon dog made his first flight as a giant Macy's parade balloon in 1968?

    1. Clifford the Big Red Dog
    2. Scooby-Doo
    3. Snoopy
    4. Pluto
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    C. Snoopy By the 2007 parade, CBS News counted 28 flights for Snoopy since that 1968 debut.

15. A 1957 proclamation by Canada's Parliament fixed that country's Thanksgiving on which day?

    1. The last Friday in October
    2. The fourth Thursday in November
    3. The first Monday in September
    4. The second Monday in October
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    D. The second Monday in October Canada's Thanksgiving date had drifted for decades before Parliament fixed it on January 31, 1957.

16. Early Macy's parades featured bears, camels, and monkeys on loan from which place?

    1. The Bronx Zoo
    2. The Central Park Zoo
    3. The Philadelphia Zoo
    4. The Prospect Park Zoo
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    B. The Central Park Zoo Elephants were part of the borrowed menagerie too, before balloons replaced the animal acts.