The turkey pardon was made official in 1989 under former President George H.W. Bush, who was continuing an informal tradition started by President Harry Truman in 1947. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla ...

It is believed Abraham Lincoln was the first president to pardon a turkey in 1863 ... It wasn't until the George H.W. Bush presidency that pardoning turkeys became commonplace for the president.

Bush obliged, and the turkey pardon has happened every year since. President George W. Bush continued his father's tradition, and the photo op was priceless. Here, he pardons the turkey in 2003.

While Americans have been sending turkeys to the White House since at least the 1870s, the turkey pardon as we know it was started by President George H.W. Bush. "The 'Presidential Flock' is ...