Young Naturalist
Part of Theodore Roosevelt Memorial.
"It is an incalculable added pleasure...to know, even slightly and imperfectly, how to read and enjoy the wonder-book of nature." -Theodore Roosevelt
![Headshot of young boy, Theodore Roosevelt.](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/tr-timeline/overlay_01/697168-1-eng-US/overlay_01_full_610.png)
Theodore Roosevelt Born: Born at 28 E. 20th St, New York City.
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Patricia O'Toole: Roosevelt struggles with asthma throughout childhood; turns to fresh, outdoor air for relief.
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![Spine of an embossed copy of Darwin's The Origin of Species.](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/tr-timeline/1869-origin-of-species/695120-3-eng-US/1869-origin-of-species_full_610.jpg)
Reads Darwin's Origin: On the Origin of Species (1859) revolutionized scientific thinking and inspires Roosevelt to continue his natural history study.
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![Taxidermist John Bell, photographed from the chest up.](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/tr-timeline/young-naturalist/1871-bell/695180-1-eng-US/1871-bell_full_610.jpg)
Learns Taxidermy: To preserve the birds he collects, Roosevelt learns taxidermy from John Bell, a famous taxidermist and colleague of wildlife artist John James Audubon.
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Douglas Brinkley: Roosevelt's first glasses changed his life: "I had no idea how beautiful the world was until I got those spectacles."
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![Title page of The Summer Birds of the Adirondacks in Franklin County, N.Y. by Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/tr-timeline/young-naturalist/1877--summer-birds/695724-3-eng-US/1877--summer-birds_full_610.jpg)
Publishes Summer Birds of the Adirondacks: The booklet gains him the attention of noted naturalist C. Hart Merriam and a listing in the 1877 Naturalists Directory.
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Edmund Morris: Roosevelt, with sighs set on becoming a politician, graduates from Harvard with honors.