Discover the Adventurous Side of History: Top 22 Fun and Surprising Facts About Theodore Roosevelt

1. Double Whammy Heartache

Talk about a double whammy of heartache: In 1884, Theodore Roosevelt faced the unimaginable, losing both his wife, Alice Hathaway Lee, and his mother within hours of each other, just two days after the birth of Roosevelt's first child.
Source => millercenter.org

2. Big Stick Diplomacy

Before he was swinging sticks in the jungle book, Teddy Roosevelt was all about that "big stick diplomacy" life: our 26th President believed in having a strong military presence while being fair and just in his policies, which came in handy during events like the Panama Canal construction and interventions in Latin America!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

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=> Fun Facts about Woodrow-Wilson

3. Bulletproof Speech

When it comes to dedication, Theodore Roosevelt really put his chest into it: Surviving an assassination attempt in Milwaukee (1912), he was shot in the chest and a bullet lodged in his muscle, but he completed his 84-minute speech before seeking medical help, famously quipping, "I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose."
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Boxing Eye Injury

Talk about taking quite the punch: Theodore Roosevelt, a boxing enthusiast, suffered permanent eye damage in a match but still kept an active lifestyle, tackling his health hurdles with all the fervor of a cavalry charge.
Source => usatoday.com

5. Original Tree-Hugger

Who would have thought, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the original "tree-hugger" before it became mainstream: During his presidency, Teddy championed for the environment by creating 5 national parks, 18 national monuments, and 150 national forests, as well as establishing the United States Forest Service to manage these slices of Mother Nature's paradise.
Source => simple.wikipedia.org

6. Teddy's Military Fitness Test

They say laughter is the best medicine, but Theodore Roosevelt prescribed a hefty dose of sweat and sore muscles as a cure-all: As a firm believer in physical fitness for military readiness, he proposed an annual endurance test for the Navy with options to complete a 50-mile walk, 90-mile horseback ride, or 100-mile bike ride within three consecutive days under the watchful eye of a medical board. But alas, like most niche workout fads, this program faced criticism, was altered, and ultimately suspended due to World War I, leaving Teddy's fitness legacy to flex its muscles in today's workout culture instead.
Source => dvidshub.net

7. Presidential Parkour

Who knew Teddy Roosevelt was such a tree-hugger? This rugged, outdoorsy chief even mastered the art of presidential parkour: As the 26th President of the United States, he was responsible for creating five national parks, 18 national monuments, and a whopping 150 national forests. Plus, he was the first POTUS to pack his bags and venture internationally while in office, popping over to Panama to check on that big canal project.
Source => goodhousekeeping.com

8. Roosevelt's White House Zoo

Step aside, Noah: Theodore Roosevelt's White House was the true ark of American history, housing the who's who of the animal kingdom with critter denizens that would make any zoo blush! Hilarity aside: Teddy's presidential menagerie featured an eclectic mix, including a bear named Jonathan Edwards, a lizard called Bill, a badger named Josiah, a parrot christened Eli Yale, a pig named Maude, various guinea pigs boasting names like Admiral Dewey and Fighting Bob Evans, and an assortment of dogs such as Sailor Boy, the Chesapeake retriever.
Source => nps.gov

9. Rough Winter at the Ranch

When Mother Nature moo-ved in a frosty direction, Theodore Roosevelt's cattle ranch barely grazed by: In the brutal winter of 1886-1887, ever-steer-e weather in North Dakota wiped out over half of Roosevelt's herd, contributing to the chilling demise of nearly 80% of all cattle in the Badlands.
Source => nps.gov

10. Presidential Bibliophile

If the White House walls could talk, they'd whisper tales of Theodore Roosevelt's literary love affair with books – likely equal in passion to Romeo and Juliet's tryst: In reality, Roosevelt devoured an average of one book per day during his presidency, totaling an estimated tens of thousands of books read in his lifetime, evidently a voracious and incurable bibliophile!
Source => tagari.com

11. Youngest President & Environmentalist

Theodore Roosevelt may have “barely met the age minimum for the presidency, but he filled those calendar spaces with a big stick and environmental love”: Roosevelt was inaugurated as the youngest ever president at the age of 50, breaking Grover Cleveland's record, and he popularized the phrase "speak softly and carry a big stick" while championing conservation efforts.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. First National Wildlife Refuge

Before Twitter was even a twinkle in the eye of the universe, Theodore Roosevelt was already a trendsetter for the bird community: In 1903, he designated Pelican Island as the first national wildlife refuge, not just for his love of our feathery friends, but to preserve and restore fish, wildlife, and plant resources for generations to come, ultimately providing habitats to over 130 species of birds and safeguarding endangered and threatened species.
Source => fws.gov

13. Roosevelt's River Adventure

Trying to swim up a rough creek without a paddle: Theodore Roosevelt embarked on an epic adventure down the River of Doubt, battling raging fevers and even surviving a gnarly leg wound that needed on-the-spot surgery, all while refusing to be left behind and relying on the unwavering support of his son, Kermit.
Source => history.com

14. Origin of Teddy Bears

Bears, cuddles, and presidential pardons galore: it turns out that Teddy Bears are named after President Theodore Roosevelt, who simply couldn't bring himself to shoot a tied-up bear during a hunting trip in Mississippi. Upon witnessing this soft-hearted moment, political cartoonist Clifford Berryman immortalized the whole kerfuffle in a satirical doodle, inspiring Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn candy store owner, to create the iconic stuffed toy, lovingly dubbed as "Teddy's Bear". Thus, thanks to presidential compassion for furry creatures, a legendary childhood companion was born.
Source => nps.gov

15. Nobel Peace Prize Winner

If Teddy Roosevelt were alive today, he'd probably be accused of jealously hoarding all the plot twists for himself: Did you know that this rough-riding, big-sticking, bear-wrestling legend was also the first statesman to win the Nobel Peace Prize? In 1906, Roosevelt won the prestigious award for brokering a peaceful resolution between Japan and Russia during the Russo-Japanese War and using arbitration to settle a dispute with Mexico, though not everyone was a fan, as some saw him as a military mad imperialist. But, his legacy lives on, championing fundamental domestic policies, social reforms, and taking on big capital, proving that Teddy always knew how to make peace as well as war.
Source => nobelprize.org

16. Ghostly Encounters in the White House

In a tale with more presidential spirits than an election night party at a distillery, Teddy Roosevelt may have had a Lincoln-encounter of the spectral kind at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: Theodore Roosevelt is said to have witnessed the ghost of Abraham Lincoln in the White House, based on reported sightings by several individuals including First Lady Grace Coolidge and members of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, although there is no record of Roosevelt claiming belief in the paranormal or explicitly stating that he encountered Lincoln's ghost.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

17. Roosevelt's Pigskin Library

Bookworms beware, Theodore Roosevelt was the ultimate literary gladiator, devouring word after word like candy throughout his entire life: This heavyweight titan of knowledge accumulated thousands of books, one colossally cool collection being his Pigskin Library - a portable anthology of 60 pigskin-bound volumes that were gifted by his sister and accompanied him on his African safari, only to eventually find its way to Harvard College Library.
Source => theodorerooseveltcenter.org

18. Down the River of Doubt

When Indiana Jones quipped, "It's not the years, it's the mileage," he must have had Theodore Roosevelt in mind: In 1913, the adventurous former president embarked on a harrowing journey down the uncharted River of Doubt in Brazil, braving hostile natives, treacherous rapids, and near-fatal illness all while putting the Roosevelt River on the map.
Source => history.com

19. Pioneer of POTUS-Mobile

Before there were Joyrides in the Oval: Theodore Roosevelt, ever the trendsetter, pioneered the POTUS-mobile experience by being the first president to make a public appearance by automobile while in office on August 22, 1902. He also broke White House guest list barriers by hosting African-American leader Booker T. Washington and was the first U.S. leader to address joint houses of the British Parliament.
Source => archive.nytimes.com

20. Conservationist & Bird Whisperer

Teddy Roosevelt: the original tree-hugger and bird whisperer, a man whose heart was as big as his gigantic mustache: Established over 150 National Forests, signed Crater Lake National Park into existence in 1902, and kick-started the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1903 with the proclamation of Pelican Island as the first Federal Bird Refuge, cementing his legacy as an ardent conservationist.
Source => fs.usda.gov

21. Surviving the River of Doubt

Navigating the River of Doubt like a high-stakes episode of "Survivor," Theodore Roosevelt proved he could outwit, outlast, and outplay Mother Nature herself: During the 1913 expedition, despite being ill, facing hostile indigenous people, and tackling treacherous rapids, Teddy kept his team's spirits high and guided them to safety, with his son Kermit marveling at his father's unrelenting determination and infectious zest for life.
Source => history.com

22. Glass Jaw Incident

Theodore Roosevelt had a glass jaw that wasn't just metaphorical: During a boxing session, an amateur pugilist and military aide, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Tyler Moore, accidentally whacked America's 26th President in the eye, resulting in not-so-presidential black eye and permanent loss of vision in that orb. Yet, in true Rough Rider fashion, Teddy never let on to Moore about his ocular mishap, making the lieutenant none the wiser for years and earning Roosevelt a heavyweight title in sportsmanship.
Source => en.wikipedia.org