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Halloween
- The Story Behind Halloween – Lesson
- The Story Behind Halloween – Quiz
- Are You Too Old To Go Trick-Or-Treating? – Lesson
- Look out for the Blue Pumpkin – Lesson
- Is the White House Haunted? – Lesson
- Is the White House Haunted? – Quiz
- Mummies Discovered in Egypt – But That’s Nothing to Fear – Lesson
- Salem Witch Trials: When Being Called a Witch Meant Death – Lesson
- Halloween Around the World: It Isn’t Just Costumes and Candy – Lesson
- Halloween Around the World: It Isn’t Just Costumes and Candy – Quiz
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Thanksgiving
- The Evolution of Thanksgiving – Lesson
- The Evolution of Thanksgiving – Quiz
- The Political Roots of Thanksgiving – Lesson
- The Political Roots of Thanksgiving – Quiz
- Turkey for Thanksgiving – But Why? – Lesson
- Turkey for Thanksgiving – But Why? – Quiz
- This Thanksgiving, Consider Helping the Less Fortunate – Lesson
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Christmas
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Easter
- Good Friday: Christ Carried Sin to the Grave – And Left It There – Lesson
- Good Friday: Christ Carried Sin to the Grave – And Left It There – Quiz
- Easter Traditions: From Rabbits to Egg Jarping – Lesson
- Easter Traditions: From Rabbits to Egg Jarping – Quiz
- Easter Monday and Egg Rolling at the White House – Lesson
- Easter Monday and Egg Rolling at the White House – Quiz
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Federal Holidays and Observances
- New Year’s Day: Just as Political as Anything Else – Lesson
- This Presidents’ Day, Let’s Remember the Weird – Lesson
- Astounding Facts about US Presidents – Lesson
- Astounding Facts about US Presidents – Quiz
- Memorial Day: A Time of Honor and Respect – Lesson
- Memorial Day: A Time of Honor and Respect – Quiz
- From Decoration Day to Memorial Day – Lesson
- From Decoration Day to Memorial Day – Quiz
- Who Was the Poppy Lady, Moina Belle Michael? – Lesson
- Who Was the Poppy Lady, Moina Belle Michael? – Quiz
- The Origins of Flag Day – Lesson
- The Origins of Flag Day – Quiz
- America’s Flag – An Evolved Banner for an Ever-Changing Country – Lesson
- America’s Flag – An Evolved Banner for an Ever-Changing Country – Quiz
- Celebrating the 4th of July – Lesson
- Celebrating the 4th of July – Quiz
- Who Should We Thank for Labor Day? – Lesson
- Who Should We Thank for Labor Day? – Quiz
- Constitution and Citizenship Day – Lesson
- Constitution Day – The First Day of Constitution Week – Lesson
- Constitution Day – The First Day of Constitution Week – Quiz
- The Political Origins of Columbus Day – Lesson
- The Political Origins of Columbus Day – Quiz
- Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day? – Lesson
- Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day? – Quiz
- Veterans Day: A Day to Honor Those Who Served – Lesson
- Veterans Day: A Day to Honor Those Who Served – Quiz
- Marion Robert Goff: A Soldier’s Tale on D-Day – Lesson
- Marion Robert Goff: A Soldier’s Tale on D-Day – Quiz
- Independence Day: The History You Might Not Know – Lesson
- Independence Day: The History You Might Not Know – Quiz
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Other Traditions
- Valentine’s Day Love Poems – Lesson
- Love Poems for Valentine’s Day – Lesson
- Who Was St. Valentine? – Lesson
- Who Was St. Valentine? – Quiz
- No Love for Valentine’s Day in the East – Lesson
- No Love for Valentine’s Day in the East – Quiz
- Beware the Ides of March – But Why? – Lesson
- Beware the Ides of March – But Why? – Quiz
- St. Patrick’s Day: A Celebration of the Irish – Lesson
- St. Patrick’s Day: A Celebration of the Irish – Quiz
- May Day: Dancing ‘Round the Maypole – Lesson
- May Day: Dancing ‘Round the Maypole – Quiz
- Cinco de Mayo: Celebrating Mexico’s Victory in Puebla – Lesson
- Cinco de Mayo: Celebrating Mexico’s Victory in Puebla – Quiz
- Mother’s Day: The Anti-War Effort Turned Holiday – Lesson
- Mother’s Day: The Anti-War Effort Turned Holiday – Quiz
- Father’s Day: More Than Just a Day for Ties – Lesson
- Father’s Day: More Than Just a Day for Ties – Quiz
- Presidential Fathers: Responsible for Their Kids and the Country – Lesson
- Presidential Fathers: Responsible for Their Kids and the Country – Quiz
- Proof of the Hanukkah Story Found? – Lesson
- Proof of the Hanukkah Story Found? – Quiz
- Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue – April Celebrates Poetry, Too – Lesson
- Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue – April Celebrates Poetry, Too – Quiz
Turkey for Thanksgiving – But Why? – Lesson

(Photo by Harold M. Lambert/Lambert/Getty Images)
It’s almost Thanksgiving, and with that knowledge comes thoughts of big family dinners with a golden turkey as the centerpiece. How far back does the tradition of eating turkey for Thanksgiving go? Some say it all started with the Pilgrims, at the First Thanksgiving in 1621. However, there is no direct mention of eating turkeys at that time. Still, the large native bird has become a symbol of holiday meals. For some families, Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without turkey on the table.
So when did turkeys become so popular? There are those who say it started with Charles Dickens’ book A Christmas Carol in 1843. Others give credit to Sarah Josepha Hale, author of Northwood in 1827. She dedicated a whole chapter to describing a New England Thanksgiving meal, mentioning a roasted turkey “placed at the head of the table.”
Why Turkey?

Farmed turkeys at the White House (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Calling someone a turkey is an old insult – but this comes from the more modern domesticated turkey. Farm-raised turkeys have a reputation for being stupid birds. Wild turkeys are entirely different. Benjamin Franklin even once suggested the turkey should be America’s national bird, although he was probably joking.
As author G.T. Klein said, the American turkey was “wild and wary to the point of genius.” Wild turkeys are brightly plumed and have longer necks and legs than farm-raised birds. They also have smaller chests. Farm turkeys are bred to have larger breasts (for the white meat).
Interesting Facts
The character Big Bird from Sesame Street uses nearly 4,000 white turkey feathers for its costume. The feathers are dyed the bright yellow that Big Bird has become famous for.

Wild Turkey, female. (Photo by: Arthur Gurmankin/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
What sound does a turkey make? If you said “gobble, gobble,” you’d just be partially correct. Only the tom turkeys gobble, the females make a clucking or clicking sound.
Wild turkeys prefer to sleep in trees at night but build their nests on land using dry leaves.
In bowling, three strikes in a row is known as a turkey.
The largest of these birds is the Bronze turkey. Adult males (toms) can weigh up to 50 pounds while females (hens) only weigh up to about 16 pounds.