Friday, October 30, 2026

Question: Ben Franklin famously praised the turkey over the bald eagle. What was he actually making fun of?

Answer: The Society of the Cincinnati, a new club of Revolutionary War officers. In a 1784 letter, Franklin mocked the eagle on the group’s emblem and the club itself. He never proposed the turkey as a national symbol, and he never even sent the letter to his daughter, Sarah, who it was addressed to.