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Thanksgiving is a holiday for which there are many important symbols, but few of those symbols seem to have the universal significance that we see in the turkey. From the earliest mention of wild turkeys in Edward Winslow's 1621 letter describing that first "harvest celebration" that we refer to as "the First Thanksgiving," to the attempt by Benjamin Franklin to have the turkey declared the national bird, the importance of the turkey cannot be understated.

Here are some interesting facts that will help put the importance of the turkey into a proper perspective. It is kind of fun to read all sorts of interesting facts that we probably didn't know about turkeys. This little bits of trivia will make for some very fun games for the whole crowd on Thanksgiving day.

* Native American Indians raised turkeys as long ago as 1,000 AD for food.

* The Aztec Indians in Mexico raised turkeys as early as 200 B.C.

* Turkeys were first domesticated in Mexico and Central America.

* The turkey industry makes more than $1 billion yearly.

* Every year, the average American consumes more than 15 pounds of turkey.

* Every Thanksgiving Day, Americans consume more than 675 million pounds of turkey.

*Turkey is lower in cholesterol than beef and many other meats. The dark meat contains more fat and cholesterol than the white meat, however.

*Female turkeys are always called "hens."

*Male turkeys are always called "toms,"

*Baby turkeys are called "poults."

*The female turkey makes a "cluck" sound, and the male turkey makes a "gobble" sound.

*A male turkey has 3500 feathers.

*Turkey eggs are tan and they have brown speckles. They are about twice as large as chicken eggs.

*The first presidential turkey pardon was given to a turkey in a 1947 ceremony.

*The long loose skin that hangs down from the turkey's neck is called a "wattle."

*There is a real physiological reason for which we get tired after eating turkey. It contains an amino acid called tryptophan. The tryptophan in the turkey sets off a chemical chain reaction and that reaction is what makes a person sleepy after eating the turkey.

*Benjamin Franklin once argued that the turkey, not the bald eagle should be the national bird. He felt that the turkey was a more respectable native of North America.

*Turkeys can adapt to a wide range of habitats, but most turkeys are found in hardwood forests with grassy areas.

*The best time to see a turkey is on a warm clear day, or in a light rain.

*Believe it or not, turkeys can have

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