It's Almost Turkey Day!

As I am sitting here getting ready for my last class before I get to start my Thanksgiving holiday, I realized it was a good time to do a little turkey talking.

My daughter isn't a big fan of turkey, especially a whole roasted turkey, the typical Thanksgiving kind, so that got me to thinking about why we actually eat turkey on Thanksgiving. It's because that's what the Pilgrims ate at the first Thanksgiving right???? Umm, not necessarily.

Yeah, the Pilgrims might have eaten turkey then but it wasn't the only meat on the table. Meals in that time period were very meat-laden, lots of game birds, venison, rabbit. And of course the typical fall veggies we'll probably have on our tables tomorrow. To be honest with you, turkey probably wasn't their first choice anyway. A full-grown bird has approximately 3500 feathers. Imagine how long it would take to pluck a bird like that- wouldn't be worth it would it?

Decades on down the road, Benjamin Franklin decided that the turkey was "noble bird, a purely American animal." This didn't mean he wanted us hunting them down for our Thanksgiving meals; instead he wanted the turkey to be our national bird. Others didn't necessarily agree though. Yes it's a noble bird but rather than represent our country, it makes a much better meal.

So tomorrow, when you dive into that succulent, wonderfully roasted turkey, just remmember that Ben wouldn't be happy with you. But then again, Ben Franklin is the person who stuck his kid out in a lightning storm with a kite and a key- forget what he thinks. Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner!

Have you thanked a vet today?

It's Veterans' Day. Banks are closed. So are some schools. The mail isn't running. But is that what Veterans' Day is about?

We go to all sorts of functions where we put our hands over our hearts and sing the national anthem, talking about the land of the free and the home of the brave. Sadly, I think a lot of people have overlooked the fact that we are the land of the free because of the sacrifices of the brave. Even before the United States actually existed, brave men and women have put their lives on the line to fight for our freedom. We should remember these folks each and every day but at the very least we have this particular day set aside specifically for them- those who served and those who are now serving in in all the branches of our armed forces.

So I go back to the question above...have you thanked a vet today? Have you shook their hands, hugged their necks, even thought about what all they have done to ensure our continuing freedom? If not, why not?

TV Review: Mysteries at the Museum

Is it a bad thing for me to say that even though I'm a historian, I tend to find museums boring? I know, I know, shouldn't museums be some sort of holy land for me? Most of the time they are filled with things like dinosaur bones that just don't hold any interest for me. So when the Travel Channel contacted me about watching their new show Mysteries at the Museum, I freely admit that I had trepidations. But I watched it anyway and folks, I am SOOOOO glad I did.

The first episode of Mysteries at the Museum was filled with all sorts of crazy stuff that kept me glued to the screen. Hybrid critters that made my skin crawl... a Mona Lisa that might or might not be the real thing... the Enigma Machine (pictured above), a device that the Germans used to send out coded messages in WWII- at least until American scientists cracked the code and used the Enigma Machine against the Nazis. Cool stuff!!! The kind of stuff that I talk about in class.

The thing that caught my attention the most was this little cube that looked like it was made from filters that you put in your AC unit stuck together with duct tape. Come to find out, that wasn't far from the truth. During the Apollo 11 space mission, an accident on the capsule nearly cost the astronauts their air supply. What little air was left was compromised by the CO2 the astronauts were exhaling. These guys used what little supplies they had on hand and fashioned an air filter. How cool is that?!?! Sounds like something my Daddy would do (he has a Ph.D. in BS'ing)

Episode 2 of Mysteries at the Museum premieres tonight at 8:00 on the Travel Channel. I'll definitely be watching it and I hope you will too.