Theodore Roosevelt

When he was 8 years old, Theodore Roosevelt found a seal skull. It would be the first specimen in his very own natural history museum. Before long, he’d add tadpoles, insects, and rocks, measuring and describing each one. He also kept a nature journal, recording and drawing living animals and their habitats. This passion for nature guided him all through his life. He fought to protect the wilderness as a sportsman, a governor, and as President of the United States.

Stats

Born: October 27, 1858

Died: January 6, 1919

Hometown: New York, NY

Position: conservationist, naturalist, 26th President of the United States

Education: Harvard, Columbia Law School

Known for: environmental conservation, foreign relations, business reforms

Cool fact: Roosevelt was the first American to win a Nobel Peace Prize, awarded for his part in ending the Russo-Japanese War.

Story

Theodore Roosevelt had a strong connection with the American Museum of Natural History.

His father, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., was one of the Museum’s founders. Growing up, young Teddy visited the Museum often. He even explored the collections behind the scenes.

Throughout his life, Roosevelt donated many items to the Museum, including a passenger pigeon, a necklace made by a native tribe in Brazil, and the skin of an extinct giant sloth. Some of these specimens are still on display today.

In 1936, the Museum opened the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall in his honor. It features quotes, murals, and dioramas of places that were special to Roosevelt.

Stumper

At age 19, Theodore Roosevelt published his first scientific work about:

birds

conservation

trees

Correct!

The Summer Birds of the Adirondacks included a list of the birds he and a friend identified one summer in the Adirondack Mountains. A leading ornithologist (bird expert) praised the book’s accuracy.

Stumper

As president, Roosevelt passed laws to protect about:

230,000 acres

2,300,000 acres

230,000,000 acres

Correct!

Roosevelt would add five national parks. But unlike earlier presidents, he would also pass new laws to protect the wildlife, forests, and minerals on these lands. He wanted to make sure the public always had access to the nation’s natural wonders.

Stumper

The year he left the presidency, Theodore Roosevelt:

went on an African safari

founded a new natural history museum

wrote his autobiography

Correct!

On his trip to Africa, Roosevelt collected specimens for the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. A few years later, he joined an expedition in South America to chart an unmapped river.

Fact or Fiction

The “Teddy Bear” is named after Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.

Fact

Fiction

Fact

While hunting in Mississippi, Roosevelt refused to shoot a captured bear. Soon after, a toy maker introduced stuffed bears and called them “Teddy Bears.”

Fact or Fiction

At 42 years old, Theodore Roosevelt was (and still is) the youngest person to ever become President of the United States.

Fact

Fiction

Fact

As vice-president, Roosevelt became president after William McKinley was assassinated in 1901. Roosevelt won reelection in 1904 by a landslide.

Quote

Image credits: main image, AMNH; quote, courtesy of AMNH.

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