Back in 1984, the social studies class at Highland Middle School in Louisville had a six-week study of the American pioneers' way of life, in honor of Thanksgiving. This included having the eighth graders decapitate a live turkey named Willy Wally. Some of the students held down Willy Wally while a student named Robin Ham swung an ax down on its neck.
Said Ham, "It was bleeding everywhere. It was flapping around a little. It was kind of grossing me out." Then added, "It was a neat experience. I feel it was pretty enriching, but I don't think I want to do it again. I've had enough of enrichment."
November 1956: Hypnotist Arthur Ellen urged President Eisenhower to put his Thanksgiving turkey in a trance before executing it, promising him that a hypnotized turkey "tastes better due to the absence of adrenalin in the bloodstream and plucks easier because the muscles holding the feathers are relaxed."
Port Angeles Evening News - Nov 19, 1956
It's not recorded whether Eisenhower took the advice of the hypnotist. However, Wikipedia notes that, "The Eisenhower Presidential Library says documents in their collection reveal that President Dwight Eisenhower ate the birds presented to him during his two terms."
The tradition of Presidential turkey pardons only officially began with Reagan, although both Kennedy and Nixon spared some birds.
Below: Eisenhower in 1954 feeds a cranberry to a soon-to-be-eaten Thanksgiving turkey.
Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you all enjoy your turkey dinner — and that your frozen turkey doesn't come back to life.
Sioux Center News - Nov 28, 1940
Frozen Turkey Comes Back To Life
Following the snow storm Neal Spaan, Orange City hatchery man loaded up his frozen turkeys and peddled them. One customer, wanting to keep the turkey frozen for a few days put it into a snow bank and covered it with snow. When he came to dig it up the turkey lifted its head, stood up, shook off the snow and calmly walked away.
According to my research, the first case of assault with a frozen turkey occurred in the 1940s. But by the end of the 20th Century, the use of frozen turkeys as deadly weapons had become fairly common. More details over at about.com.
Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.