Turkey pardoning through the years

'Thanksgiving is a very special day for turkeys. Not a very good one, when you think about it.'

A turkey.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images)

Gifting the White House poultry can be traced back to the 1800s, but the origins of the ceremonial presidential pardon of the National Thanksgiving Turkey might be more recent than you'd think. The ritual has been an American tradition for decades, evolving under the nation's leaders.

Here are a few notable presidential Thanksgiving turkey pardons over the years.

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Theara Coleman, The Week US

Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.