Jason E. Andersen

Bonus fun fact: Because of the impending holiday, here is a patriotic fun fact — You may have heard the story that Benjamin Franklin (of founding father fame) originally wanted the national bird to be the wild turkey, but was shot down (ha!) by the other founders, instead opting for the bald eagle. This story is actually a myth! Apparently the story spawned from a letter that Franklin wrote, where he criticized the original eagle design for the great seal, claiming that it looked more like a turkey than an eagle. In the letter, Franklin went on to compare the two birds and commented that the turkey was a more respectable bird and other pro-turkey comments. Franklin never actually suggested that the turkey be the national bird, but his comments were taken out of context and this misinterpretation turned into a myth that persists to this day.