Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th President, was born October 27th, 1858. In college I recall taking a class entitled “The World of Theodore Roosevelt,” and what a class that was. T.R. lived a remarkable life. One of his timeless achievements is his preservation of lands for the expansion of the nation’s beautiful national parks. An interesting fact that most people probably know is that the “Teddy” bear is named after him, but an even more unbelievable fact is that while campaigning for the presidency in 1912 as the Progressive Party candidate, he was shot by an out of work saloonkeeper, yet saw to it that he gave his 90 minute speech before going to the hospital! The speech did not help the campaign win, as he ultimately lost the election, but after this loss Roosevelt decided on a trek into Brazil along the Amazon. Candice Millard wrote a fantastic book that chronicles this journey. Grab your copy of The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey, and enjoy the adventure!
– Steve
Read it or Weep 