Page 18 - All About History - Issue 29-15

USA

5 things you probably

didn’t know about…
THEODORE

ROOSEVELT

THE MACHO-MAN PRESIDENT

WHO SPOKE SOFTLY AND
CARRIED A BIG STICK

01 HEALTH ISSUES

PLAGUED HIS YOUTH

Despite his robust and active
later life, Roosevelt struggled
with severe asthma and
other health problems THEODOREROOSEVELT
Nationality: American
during his youth. He also Born:27October1858
Died: 6 January 1919
experienced horrific night-
Theodore ‘Teddy’
time asthma attacks, of Brief Roosevelt worked
as governor of New
which doctors told his Bio York before becoming
vice president.
parents there was no After William McKinley was
assassinated in 1901, he became
cure. It was Roosevelt’s theyoungestpersontoassume
thepresidency.In1904,he
father who encouraged wasvotedinforasecondterm
andbecamealeadingforcefor
the young boy to train and progressive politics. Roosevelt
wasalsoknownforhisworkin
strengthen his body. ecological conservation.

His wife and He was a Even bullets His daughter was
02 mother died on the 03 cowboy 04 couldn’t stop him 05 a troublemaker
same day Teddy was very serious about Roosevelt was shot shortly before Alice, Roosevelt’s daughter, was
On 14 February 1884, Roosevelt his life as a cowboy. Not only he was due to make a speech. The known for her rebellious ways. She
experienced, likely, the worst day of did he learn how to ride, hunt bullet passed through the steel possessed her father’s quick wit,
his life when he lost both his wife and and rope, but he also fulfilled eyeglass case and 50-page speech but she was also an ardent rule
his mother to illness. In his diary he the role of deputy sheriff. In that he was carrying, which likely breaker and liked to smoke, gamble
wrote a large “X” and “the light has one instance, he chased three saved his life. He continued with and go to late night parties. She
gone out of my life.” The grief was so outlaws, captured and watched the speech with the bullet lodged even kept a pet snake. Roosevelt
immense that he felt unable to look over them for 40 hours without in his chest, telling the audience said of her: “I can either run the
after his young daughter and left her in sleep by reading Leo Tolstoy “it takes more than that to kill a country or I can attend to Alice, but
the care of his sister for three years. books to keep himself awake. Bull Moose.” I cannot possibly do both.”
©Alamy
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