What's something about Teddy that I'd be hard pressed to learn just skimming online sources? I'm doing a presentation on him Thursday and want to include some things that generally aren't that well known about the man. It's a "tribute speech", so one person in my group is doing the conservation angle, someone else is just talking about his life, ect. I chose to talk about the neat shit he was into, like his study of Judo, "strenuous life", ect, but I want to include something that everyone hasn't just already heard.
>>1083553
>another "it's finals timel" thread
He hated being called teddy because it was the nickname one of his sons called him (and he passed away). It was said one could tell who was friends with him by whether or not they'd call him Teddy. One of his favored titles was being called the Colonel (calling back to his army days).
Conservation angle? While on a trip out west to do some hard living (I think it was to setup his ranch/hunt/enjoy nature), he was camping (or resting or something with his party) and a 2-3 men stole his canoe. With his small party, he tracked down and arrested the men.
When he was a kid, he was already extremely into nature, keeping detailed notes and sketches and collecting samples from places he'd visit with his family (like Egypt). As a mere child and even into his college days @Harvard (where he had a small apartment off campus), his room was filled with taxidermies specimens. Oh, he was very into taxidermy as well.
He produced scientifically significant work about animals he'd observe and hunt (he had a special affection for birds), but having already received fame for his other accomplishments (he was president at this time), he was disappointed the press would spend a token amount of time on his work and more on the human interest side of his accomplishments.
Theodore would rarely let anyone get him down as he liked people to agree with him and see things his way, but John Muir of pic related (at the time a celebrated naturalist who Theodore sought and succeeded at becoming fast friends with) after Theodore excitedly swapped a tale of a hunt he had (they were sharing nature experiences and were already friends at this point, might've been during a nature trip actually) and Muir (who hated hunting) said something to the effect of "Theodore, when will you put that childishness down?". Now, if this were anybody but a naturalist (an occupation Theodore respected more than anything) he'd have launched into...
>>1083658
Nice, anon. Can you recommend a good biography? I won't need it for this assignment, I just need some general info for that, but I'd like to read one anyway.
>>1083553
He really fucking loved Remington rifles.
>>1083658
...a defense of hunting, but instead Theodore responded with something to the effect of, "Well, I suppose you're right..." or something (you're gonna wanna googlefu these stories as I'm recalling them from memory from "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America". I thought the book was great and the reviews agree (works best as a first book to read on the president since it's detractors describe it as bloated). I enjoyed it, but the first 1-star review is absolutely scathing (on amazon) and worth considering.
What else...getting shot of course...
What stopped the bullet wasn't sheer ballysness, but a manuscript of the speech he was delivering (folded) and a metal rimmed glasses case.
While on a hunt/observation trip earlier in his life, his only pair of glasses fell and were broken/lost making it impossible to enjoy the trip from then on and he missed some of the creatures he was excited to see. Because of that, he'd resolved to never let that happen to himself again and he'd always carry a spare pair in his pocket.
After his presidency he went on an expedition with his a son to the Amazon and the experience was so grueling, he'd nearly died from it, returning to America having lost a significant amount of weight.
What else...first president in flight (pic related)...despite how hard he'd pushed for victory in the Philippines War, some contemporaries of him noted that the bombast with which he approached the issue died towards American withdrawal and as information about ground conditions reached him. From then on, he didn't enjoy mentioning it.
That's all the coming to me right now. I should probabl reread the book I mentioned, but I'm not sure where it is right now.
Anyway, use google to shore up a few of thing events I described, and that should be sufficiently lesser known but interesting material. (dont forget his passion for naval warfare, he literally wrote the book on The Naval War of 1812)
>>1083710
Here's one of the custom guns he had built. It's an absolute treasure. I've got a passing interest in guns as a nogunz metro area new yorker, but this made me stop and appreciate every detail in a way only armor and a few interesting swords have before.
http://www.nramuseum.org/the-museum/the-galleries/theodore-roosevelt,-elegant-arms/case-49-theodore-roosevelt-and-the-nra/theodore-roosevelt's-adolph-double-rifle.aspx
>>1083806
Thanks, anon, I'll probably make a slide out of this
>>1083758
I have a book from John Muir that chronicles his and Teddy's time in Yosemite, it's an incredibly interesting read. A few things I remember from the book: At every stop they had on the way to Yosemite Theodore would get out and make a speech from the train car. John, a bird specialist, considered Roosevelt his equal in calling, identifying, and hearing American birds. At one point Roosevelt was in his tent, shaving, when a large animal (I want to say moose) appeared near the camp. Roosevelt left his tent (only one side of his face shaved) and Theodore and John proceeded to chase the thing by foot all day until the animal was too exhausted to run.
There was an afterward of when John visited Roosevelt at the White House. John and Roosevelt walked the ground and Roosevelt had taken care to memorize exactly which birds nested where.
>>1086496
That is so cool. Those two were really like little boys together at times.
You know, when I picked the up book i mentioned earlier, initially I was annoyed by the length at which the author agonized over his conservatism (what I was looking for was a book on the man and I didn't pay close attention to the title, just grabbed it on a whim), but the sheer enthusiasm and legitimate mastery over American ornithology Roosevelt pursued really made me grow to love his naturalist pursuits.
I was absolutely astounded having never held a passion for something quite as much as Roosevelt did for birds and nature. I've got no idea where the book is right now having done a quick look. I hope I find it.
