Thanksgiving is on its way, but before you sit around the table to feast on the traditional turkey, here are some fun facts with which you can impress your dinner guests.

When turkeys aren’t being cooked and sold, they are wild animals that have impressive physical qualities. They can run up to 12 miles per hour and fly for over a mile. Around 200 million turkeys are produced each year which contributes to the way turkeys have doubled in size over the span of 40 years. 

Turkeys serve as a main dish in most households on thanksgiving. 46 million turkeys are consumed each year, this is 736 million pounds just in the United States. This amount eaten in the US in just one year is around the same amount as the whole turkey population in Spain.

While these are common facts, what about the history facts of how turkeys came to be? An uncommon fan of turkeys is Benjamin franklin. He wrote to his daughter stating how respectable the creatures are and how they would attack a British soldier if given the chance. Another fact is that no one knows if turkey was originally served at the First Thanksgiving held by the pilgrims. 

Next time you sit down to enjoy a thanksgiving meal full of turkey, remember these fun facts that contribute to this national holiday.