Turkey beards grow 3-5 inches in a year.

At one time, both the Turkey and Bald Eagle were considered national symbols of America.  Benjamin Franklin argued in favor of the Turkey, stating that Bald Eagles were cowardly!

Muslim farmers in the Middle East were the first to domesticate turkeys.  English customers assumed they were from Turkey and thus the name “turkey birds.”

Merchants who sold and bought turkeys out of the Mediterranean were called “turkey merchants.”

Over 45 million turkeys eaten on Thanksgiving!

William Strickland introduced the turkey to England and was given a coat of arms that included a “turkey-cock in his pride proper.”

In 1519, Hernan Cortes’ expedition in Mexico were the first European explorers to discover and eat the turkey. They brought the bird back to Europe and domesticated them for eating.