Welcome, little fact explorers, to take a look at the life and contribution of the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Rooseveltđ˛!
From being an American politician, soldier, naturalist, statesman, and historian to becoming a driving force for Progressive and anti-trust policies, this famous person has several fascinating facts to offer!
This article will provide some wonderful facts about Theodore Roosevelt that will leave you completely amazed!
Amazing Theodore Roosevelt Facts
Theodore Roosevelt: Know about his birth secret
Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858, at 28 East 20th Street in Manhattan, New York City.
His parents were Theodore Roosevelt Sr. and Martha Bulloch Roosevelt.
His mom was a socialite, and his dad was a philanthropist and businessman.
He was the second child đ§of his parents and had three siblings.
Among them, Anna was his older sister, and his younger siblings were Elliott and Corinne.
Meet the youngest president in history
I am really amazed to learn this interesting fact about Theodore Roosevelt Jr!
Vice President Roosevelt became president in 1901âď¸, immediately after the assassination of sitting president William McKinley.
At the age of only 42, he was and even still remains the youngest president in the history of America!!
Really impressive, right?
Theodore was an odd man out at Harvard
The boisterous and enthusiastic Roosevelt, who started attending Harvard đď¸ in the fall of 1876, was not like many of his more subdued peers.
When in a fervent discussion, he would strike his hand into his palm to make a point!
While seeing a friend, he would yell at him from a big distance!
Despite his rough manners, Roosevelt still made a lot of friends through his athletic pursuits.
Also he was quite OK in academics as well. At the time of his graduation, he got 21st place out of 161 students.
Theodore went from wimp to warrior
Did you know this interesting fact about Roosevelt?
Roosevelt was often called âTeddyâ by his friends!!
He was a frail kid, prone to ailments like asthma and even lacking physical strength.
Despite his poor health, he was an avid outdoors enthusiast and even carried his fascination with wildlife indoors by often practicing taxidermy!
At the age of 14, his family went on an Egypt tour, and h traveled with his somewhat macabre tools of the trade, like arsenic.
Later, Theodore even practiced both judo and boxing!!
His interest in combat sports made him a fitness advocate later.
Theodore even tried his hand at becoming a rancher
Roosevelt often felt quite comfortable when he was surrounded by the tropes of the outdoors, like guns, horses, cattle, and vast stretches of land.
In 1883, while traveling to the Dakota Territory to hunt bison, he was intrigued by the thought of operating a cattle ranch there!
So, he even went into business with Sylvane Ferries, his hunting guideâs brother!
That resulted in a second ranch, which he dubbed Elkhorn.
While enjoying playing cowboy, overgrazing and bad weather started to create financial losses.
Thus, by 1898, Roosevelt sold his interest in the ranches.
Sometimes, Theodore could be extremely jealous
While at Harvard, Roosevelt met his first wife, Alice Lee đ°ââď¸.
After a courtship, they got engaged with a plan to get married after graduation!
Despite Aliceâs adoration, Roosevelt was believed to be apoplectic when any man dared approach her.
If a man got out of line, Roosevelt would threaten to challenge him to a dual!!
At some point, he even mailed away from a pair of French dueling pistols in case a person wanted to take him up on the offer.
Theodore once chased down thieves
Let me tell you an interesting story about âTeddyâ Roosevelt!
In 1886, Rooseveltâs moored boat was stolen from his ranch and even taken down the Little Missouri River.
He even called it a matter of personal honor and feeling the need to chase criminals as a deputy sheriff!
Roosevelt gave chase while accompanied by his two ranch hands.
Though it was winter and the river turned icy, he packed coffee, flour, and Anna Karenina for downtime.
After three days, the group crept up on the thieves, and even caught them.
Theodore was an accomplished actor
Have you heard this interesting secret about Theodore Roosevelt?
Due to his affection for the outdoors, Roosevelt spent some time before taking presidential office authoring booksđ, like the four volume Winning of the West Hunting Trips of a Ranchman.
The writing was in some kind of an escape for Roosevelt.
Once, in 1884, he even retreated to his Dakota territory ranch, after his wife, Alice, and his mother both died on the same day.
Roosevelt continued writingđď¸ for the rest of his life, depending on his income from publishing instead of his public-office salaries to support himself.
Amazing, right?
Know about a dedicated environmentalist
A lover of nature, Roosevelt made protecting the countryâs natural wonder a priority.
Over his tenure in the white house, he reserved around 200 million acres of land for wildlife refuges and national forests.
While previous presidents combined had just done a fifth of that.
Roosevelt even said in 1908 that âWe have become great because of the lavish use of our resources and we have just reason to be proud of our growth.â
He further added that âbut the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests have gone.â
Theodore was a war hero
After dropping out of school, Roosevelt started public service.
Later in 1895 became president of the New York City Board of Police Commissioners, and in 1897, assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy!
In 1898, after the Spanish-American War broke out, Roosevelt insisted on serving and later became the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalryâs colonel.
His âRough Ridersâ took part in skirmishes and Roosevelt himself was wounded by shrapnel while advancing on Cubaâs San Juan River.
Later, reports of his courage and bravery helped him win a seat as New Yorkâs governor.
Theodore actually kept a zoo while in office
I am really speechless to explore this unique fact about Roosevelt! What about you, little friends?
His White House was no place for anyone sacred of animals!
In addition to the numerous dogs, horses, and rabbits, the 26th President of America even kept flying squirrels, snakesđ, bears, chickens, a zebra, a lion đŚ, and what he called as a âfriendly and affectionateâ rat!!
Quite interesting, isnât it?
Roosevelt had a beef with beef
In the early part of the 20th century, food safety was not of great concern to lawmakers.
However, Roosevelt was quite firm in his mission to ensure American beef products were safe to eat.
Hence, he even dispatched investigators to meat-packing plants and also collecting stories of dirty and putrid meatđĽŠ.
Despite strong objection from meat industry, in 1906, Roosevelt signed the Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act.
How to charm press: Theodore knew it well
More than any other president before him, Roosevelt was aware of how to enact effective change, that is, get the public opinion and pressđ° on his side.
He made a press room at the White House and even invented correspondents for informal chats while he got a shave.
Also, he even made some publicity stunts like riding around 98 miles on horseback or even field-testing a new submarine vessel, etc.
Theodore and his blindness: Boxing was the reason
I am quite sad to explore this unfortunate fact about Roosevelt! Want to know?
Roosevelts preference for combat sports was with him even when he was elected to the highest office in the country!
In 1905, at the age of 50, he was sparring in a boxing match when he was struck with a right to his left eye!
The heavy blow left him with a detached retina and hence, he suffered from major vision issues.
In his autobiography, Roosevelt even described the punch as leaving him âdimâ in his left eye.
Football: Theodore helped save this game
In the early 1900s, footballâ˝ was quite a lot more dangerous than it is today.
At that time, there were only a few loose regulations needing protective equipment to guard the players from serious injury!
From1900 to 1905, around 45 players died from a variety of injuries as a result of collisions, from broken backs to broken necks!
With public turning against the game, Roosevelt summoned representatives from Yale, to discuss new measures to Improve the safety profile of the game.
His concern gave birth to some new rules, and it did turn around the alarming mortality rate of football.
Theodore Roosevelt as the President: He was the first to leave the country during his term
Roosevelt, who had petitioned for the construction of the Panama Canals, couldnât ignore the opportunity to see the sight for himself when plans were underway.
So, in 1906, he left for Panama, and hence, he became the first president to travel outside of America while holding office.
Theodoreâs presidential portrait: He burned it himself
Roosevelt was quite disappointed in his official presidential portrait. Roosevelt even claimed that artist Theobald Chartran made him look like a âmewing cat.â
After being shown in France, Chartranâs home country, the painting đźď¸returned to the White House.
There Roosevelt burned it, which was one of his final acts in office.
Theodoreâs oldest daughter: She tried her fatherâs patience
The only child with his first wife and the eldest of his children was Alice Roosevelt.
At the age of 17, when Alice went to his fatherâs office, she quickly became infamous for several public indiscretions!!
She liked smoking cigarettes on the White Houseâs roof after her father told her not to smoke indoors.
She even walked around with a boa constrictor on her neck!!
All these carefree gestures of Alice made her a celebrity in her own right! đ˛!
Also, even a color, âAlice Blueâ, was named after her.
Roosevelt didnât like his nickname âTeddyâ
Did you know this interesting fact about Roosevelt?
Despite offering his blessing for stuffed animal makers to refer to their bears as âTeddys,â the 26th President of America was no fan of this nickname.
According to reports, this name reminded him of his late first wife, Alice, who used this nickname to address him.
Also, Roosevelt hardly ever spoke anything about Alice after her untimely death in 1884.
Thus, in his later years, Roosevelt liked being called âColonel Roosevelt.â
Theodore drank the coffee by gallon
Have you heard this wonderful secret about Roosevelt?
According to his family, Rooseveltâs coffee cupđľ was a lot like a âbathtub,â and he sweetened each cup with almost seven lumps of sugarđ˛!
Can you imagine?
He was a big fan of coffee, that even Maxwell House once put his face on some of their print advertisements.
Theodore Roosevelt: The first former president to fly in an airplane
In 1910, Roosevelt became the first former or current president to board a planeâď¸!
The chance came at the invitation of Arch Hoxsey, an aviator, who invited Roosevelt to climb on board his plane in St. Louis, Missouri.
The event was watched by a crowd of 10,000 people, with a few expecting the popular public figure to meet a bad end in the suspicious craft!!
However, after a flight of three minutes and 20 seconds, Roosevelt was beaming and told Hoxsey that âI envy you your professional conquest of space.â
Summing up
So little fact lovers, now you know a lot about Theodore Roosevelt!!
Keep following us till we bring some more interesting content about eminent personalitiesđ˛!!
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