10 Interesting Facts About Theodore Roosevelt

10. First to leave the country

Roosevelt was the first president to travel outside of the continental United States while in office. In 1906, he traveled to Panama.

9. Church and State

Although Roosevelt had been a Sunday school teacher, he believed strongly in the separation of Church and State. While taking the oath of office during his inauguration after McKinley’s assassination, he did not swear on the Bible.

When the $20 gold coin was designed in 1907, the words “In God We Trust” were not present. In a letter written by Roosevelt, he said it was irreverent to have the words printed on the coins because the money was used to buy worldly goods and services. After public outcry, Congress passed legislation requiring “In God We Trust” be restored to all U.S. coins which it had been previously printed on.

8. Nobel Peace Prize

In 1906, Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role of negotiator in the Russo-Japanese War. He was the first American to win the Nobel Prize.

7. A multitasking homeschooler

Roosevelt’s education was mostly homeschooling by his parents and tutors. He was an avid reader and developed a photographic memory. It is said he was a great multitasker, able to dictate letters and memos to two separate secretaries while browsing through a book at the same time.

6. Just call me TR

President Roosevelt was the first president to be commonly known by his initials.

5. Boxing injury

Roosevelt was blind in his left eye, the result of a boxing injury he sustained while in office.

4. Skinny-dipper

Roosevelt was known to go skinny-dipping in the Potomac River during the wintertime.

3. First in flight

On October 11, 1910, Roosevelt took a four minute flight in a plane built by the Wright brothers, making him the first president to fly in an airplane.

2. Youngest President

Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest president, assuming the office at the age of 42 after President McKinley was assassinated. John F. Kennedy was the youngest president to be elected to office. He was 43 when he became president.

1. You can’t kill a Bull Moose

On October 14, 1912, Roosevelt was campaigning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when a local saloon-keeper shot him. The bullet lodged in his chest after passing through a jacket pocket containing his steel eyeglass case and a copy of his 50 page speech which had been folded in half. Being an anatomist, Roosevelt concluded that since he wasn’t coughing blood the bullet had not penetrated the chest wall into his lung. He declined immediate treatment and gave his 90 minute speech with blood seeping from the wound into his shirt. “Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot,” Roosevelt said, “but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.”

24 thoughts on “10 Interesting Facts About Theodore Roosevelt”

  5. I have to write a minute bio on him and it has to be intresting. And these are the best I have found, THANKS!!

  7. I am making a poster for my history class and we had to have ten facts on it. This pretty much so made it for me. All I have to do is get 3 quotes. Thanks for the help:)

  10. Holy shizz nitts this website helps alot! 🙂 ThankYouu !
    I need alot more facts though :/ Do you know any good sites for more TRUE facts ?!

  13. Thanks you practically saved my life i needed some info about him got it in white house.gov and the facts where right here you saved my life thanks so much for your help…

    ~La Loca~

  14. Thanks, I have to do a wax museam and the biography research is the first step. Thx again, this helped.

  16. This would have been so helpful if I had found it last year >.<

    If there were some facts about things he did as president, that would make this so perfect.

  17. My mother was a Roosevelt cousin,My grand mother was Lucy Dewitt
    its good to know some of the Roosevelts are still around.Its good to read about them today! I have been to Hyde Park to Franklin’s home and to
    Eleanors home ,the cottage.

    So all the best Peter T Monahan III
    nobody from New Jersey.

  18. look at all these people looking at this page for school purposes…

    And I’m just here because I love TR!

  19. I think overall, (and I’ve done a couple huge reports on him) Teddy Roosevelt is kind of a badass. He tells the Infamous guy known for being a loudmouth to shut up, gives a speech with a bullet in his chest, and is the first to do tns of things as president (and much more). He’s one of my favorites

  20. Presient Theodore Rooselvelt was by far our greatest President. A Republican by party, a leader of the people, and was filled with common sense solutions rather than radical partisan idealog.
    He was a walking contradiction. He was very Patriotic and had little paitence for non-established Government’s. He had many positions in his lifetime including police commishiner, asst. Secratary of the Navy, (where he earned the Medal of Honor, -posthumously-) New York State Commishiner, and also served in city, state and Federal offices the highest of coarse was his Presidency which he was appointed to after Pres. W. McKinley was assasainated. He was an avid hunter, world explorer, soldier, and historian. He also was a very passionate member of the Christian faith. All of these characteristics which show what could easily be a resume for a running Republican canidate in today’s world.
    But their was more to this Patriot which some could argue make him a perfect canidate for the Democratic Party.
    First of which would be that he is considered the father of the Progressive Party. He was always on the side of the people and offered them a slogan that they could expect him to live up to. He told them everyone had the right to a “square deal”. Which fit his no nonsense approach to Governing which he showed time and again. Two examples are when the Union of mine workers went on strike for better pay, he didn’t use any political tricks or manuvering. Rather his response was to send a fact finding team down their to look at both sides. And as the facts came back he ended the strike by directing the owners of the mine to pay their workers more money and work them less hours. A second example is when he negotiated a end to the Russo-Japanese war after many attempts were made by many Countries and even a united coalition called the “Boxer Rebellion” which consisted of an eight nation alliance. For his efforts he would be the 1st U.S. President to win a nobel peace prize.
    More of his progressive type beliefs spanned from “trust busting” which passed different laws and tariffs to keep companie’s from become monopolies in their field. Also he was for stricter regulations on businesse’s. And what seems to be most ironic in the character of this masculine boxer, elephant hunter, and decorated war hero is his devotion to perserving nature as a naturalist. And passing such laws as The Meat Inspection Act of 1906, The Pure Food and Drug Act, The American School Hygiene Association in 1907, The Gentlemen’s Agreement with Japan in 1907, banning all school segregation of Japanese students.
    Not only is he all these things. He was also an Author of many books, a member of the Freemasons and the Sons of the American Revolution. Other hobbies he enjoyed were polo, tennis, hiking, rowing and horseback riding. And on top of all this he was the owns many 1st’s. Such as the already mentioned 1st Pres. to win the Nobel Prize, youngest Pres. at 42, then he was elected to his own full term as President which had never been done by a elevated Vice President. (meaning he completed the Mckinley term then earned a full term,8 years, of his own being the only President to serve more than the constitutionally allotted time) he also earned the largest percentage of the popular vote in any Presidential race in history, he created the press briefing room giving access to the President to the press inside the White House after noticing one day the press hudled in the rain awaiting the Pres., he is the only Presient to elect 3 justices to the Supreme Court, and also appointed a record 75 Federal judges, and etc. etc.
    In closing the reason I believe Roosevelt was without question our best President is because he was very non-political and dealt with everything using common sense and a strong belief in what ever he was doing. Also he had plenty of appeal to all American’s by being both a Republican and Progressive and making that work like noone else in history. Lastly I believe his legacy is yet to be fully fulfilled. Yes he has a number of Librarie’s and streets and post offices named after him, he is one of four of the Pres.’s on Mt. Rushmore, and is considered by historians to be one of the top Presidents of all time. So what could possibly be left to add this tremendous legacy?
    I believe their still remains a President to pick up the torch of “The Progressive Movement” and the beliefs and policies coined by Theodore in the Bull-Moose Party, the Rough Riders, the morality of the “Square Deal”, and leave behind the old ideals of the Democratic Party and the issues of libreal politics and embrace the foward motion and no bull of progressivism. Maybe it will come in the form of a third party? Who knows? But I am ready for that canidate and the change that follows…

  21. Roosevelt was in office from 1901-1909. Your 3rd fact says 1910. Your date or President is wrong.

    1. Theodore Roosevelt was the first President to fly in an airplane, although the flight occurred a year after Roosevelt left office. However, Presidents are still referred to as President even after leaving office. His cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, was the first President to fly in an airplane while in office.

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