This odd tradition seems to stem from early in the history of Thanksgiving being a national holiday, and has only gotten more formal (and more silly) in recent years. Learn about turkeys in the White House in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/presidential-turkey-pardon.htm

How Did Beer Help Sell the Myth of Custer's Last Stand?
10:08

How Does Bioluminescence Work?
12:15

How Is Maillardet's Automaton Still Wowing Us After 200 Years?
09:28