In 1782 Charles Thomson sketched the bald eagle as the centerpiece of his design for the Great Seal of the United States. Legend has it that Ben Franklin advocated for the turkey instead. But there wasn't really a public battle of the birds. In actuality, Ben's "recommendation" was borne of his criticism of Thomson's artistic skills – his poor scraggly bird sketch looked more like a turkey than an eagle, so why not use a turkey anyway? In a letter to his daughter, Franklin mused on the comparative injustice, pointing out that a turkey is "a much more respectable bird" that wouldn't hesitate to defend its land, and is "a true original native of America"; while the bald eagle had a “bad moral character” that steals fish from other birds and was a “rank coward” easily chased off by sparrows. OUCH! The moral of the story? Hire a good designer, folks.

08.04.18