The side dishes vary from house to house. In some parts of the country, you'll find mashed potatoes and gravy and in other places, sweet potato pie. But no matter how you celebrate Thanksgiving, in most homes around America, one guest is invited to the table each year — the turkey! The history of the Thanksgiving turkey is a bit of a mystery. Nobody knows exactly how this particular bird earned a place of honor at the table each November, but historians have a few different theories.One theory attributes the Thanksgiving turkey to the Queen of England. During the 16th century, a fleet of Spanish ships sunk on their way to attack England. According to legend, Queen Elizabeth received this news while eating dinner. She was so thrilled that she ordered another goose be served. Some historians say the early settlers were inspired by the queen's actions and roasted a turkey instead of a goose. Another theory was that since the wild turkey is a native bird of North America, Benjamin Franklin claimed this made the turkey a more suitable national bird for the United States than the bald eagle.Not everyone agreed with Franklin, however, and the bald eagle became the national emblem for the United States in 1782. The bald eagle may be America's bird 364 days a year, but the turkey has one day all to itself — Thanksgiving.
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