One of the best shows on TV. Some trivia about one of our best Presidents... Roosevelt disliked the nickname Teddy. None of his friends or relatives dared to address him that way. TRs vision was so bad that he was not able to function without his eyeglasses. When he went away to war in 1898, he had several extra pairs of spectacles stitched into the lining of his uniform. While president, Roosevelt used to spar several rounds in the White House gym. (He had been on the boxing team at Harvard.) Once, he even went a few rounds with John L. Sullivan, the heavyweight champion. On one unfortunate occasion, the Presidents sparring partner scored with a hard blow to the left eye. As a result of the blow, TR permanently lost the use of this eye. The injury, however, remained a well-kept secret for years, simply because TR feared the humiliation that would result from the news that the President had been blinded in one eye during a sparring session in the White House gym. The term teddy bear stems from one of the Presidents well-publicized hunting expeditions, in which he refused to shoot a cornered bear because it was too small. Instead, he insisted that the cub be turned loose unharmed. Shortly after this touching incident took place, teddy bears became a national fad. TR almost died on his Brazilian expedition of 1913. He suffered intermittent attacks of malaria and dysentery, gashed a leg that became infected, and lost a total of 57 lb. Three members of Roosevelts party never returned to civilization; one drowned, another went insane and killed a member of the expedition before disappearing into the jungle. At times the former Presidents fever rose to 105 deg, and according to his son Kermit, father was out of his mind. He originated such familiar phrases as the lunatic fringe, muckrakers, and my hat is in the ring. The executive mansion was called the Presidents House until TR called it the White House on his stationery. Roosevelt was the first president to --leave the U.S. during his term of office --ride in an automobile for state purposes --ride in an airplane --ride in a submarine --publish a book while president: a scholarly volume, The Deer Family.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 03:33:03 +0000