Other Interesting Facts and Trivia:
- Theodore Roosevelt was nicknamed "Teddy" when a child. Though he had asthma, he spent a lot of time outdoors.
- In 1902, Roosevelt went on a bear hunt. A toymaker in Brooklyn created a stuffed bear he named Teddy's Bear. The teddy bear has been a popular stuffed animal ever since.
- As a child, Roosevelt had asthma and was often sick.
- Roosevelt's wife and mother (Martha Bulloch Roosevelt) died on the same day - February 14, 1884.
- After the deaths of his mother and wife, Roosevelt moved to North Dakota to become a cowboy and rancher. However, 2 years later, in 1895, he returned to New York to head the city's police department.
- Roosevelt organized a volunteer Army (the "Rough Riders") when the Spanish-American War broke out and became a war hero. The Army consisted of cowboys, Native Americans, athletes and New York City policmen. They became famous in the battle of San Juan, Cuba.
- When President McKinley died, Vice President Roosevelt became the youngest president in history at age 42.
- Roosevelt is responsible for starting the building of the Panama Canal which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
- In 1905, Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping end a war between Russian and Japan.
- Roosevelt created 5 national parks, 18 national monuments and 51 wildlife refuges.
- The Roosevelts had more than 40 pets in the White House: birds, guinea pigs, badger, pony, one legged rooster, pig, raccoon, cats, dogs, rats and snakes.
- Roosevelt's daughter, Alice, liked to wear a snake named Emily Spinach around her neck to shock people. |