The history of White House Thanksgiving traditions date back more than 160 years to President Abraham Lincoln, who established the national holiday.

The annual turkey pardoning is a long-held Thanksgiving tradition for the White House. But the history of exactly when the pardon began "gets tricky."

In more recent years, the White House Presentation of the National Thanksgiving Turkey has included the "pardoning" of a turkey and its alternate. This started in 1989 with former President George H. W. Bush in 1989, which marked the 200 th anniversary of former President George Washington 's proclamation for Thanksgiving Day.