TALES OF THE BULL MOOSE

Did Teddy Roosevelt actually ride a moose through a lake?

Image: Brandon Mowinkel

In 2016, a fake photo of Teddy Roosevelt riding a moose through a lake completely baffled the internet. While the photo was certainly weird, what was so confusing about it was that the one U.S. president we could have expected to ride a wild animal with ease was Theodore Roosevelt. Besides, wasn’t he known as the "Bull Moose" candidate in 1912?

While the moose photo was definitely photoshopped, few American presidents have amassed as many fun and quirky anecdotes as Teddy Roosevelt. We have decided to pay tribute to our 26th president with a small biography that showcases ten moments that show both his fun side, as well as his unbreakable work ethic. Like Teddy Roosevelt once said: "When you play, play hard; when you work, don't play at all."

Image: Sahej Brar

We’ll start at the very beginning, in President Roosevelt’s childhood. Born on October 27, 1858, young Teddy was completely different from the image of toughness and resilience his future self would give: he was a frail kid, often troubled by asthma and illness. He was, however, an avid outdoors fan, and would often test the limits of his physical strength outside.

According to a popular myth, President Roosevelt cured his asthma by enduring vigorous exercise. While this isn’t completely true, since he suffered a few asthmatic episodes as an adult, Teddy did go through an intense routine in his teenage years, becoming proficient in boxing, judo, and weightlifting.

Image: Emily Karakis

By the fall of 1876, a 17-year-old Teddy started attending Harvard University, where he showed a particular interest in biology, science, and rhetoric. He also participated in rowing and boxing and became an editor for The Harvard Advocate, the university’s art and literary magazine.

If the numerous anecdotes about his time in Harvard are to be believed, Teddy was an energetic and boisterous debater, often striking his hand into his palm to highlight a point. He was also a member of the Porcellian Club, one of the country’s most prestigious final clubs.

Image: Jed Owen

In 1883, while hunting bison in the Dakotas, Teddy became intrigued with the idea of becoming a rancher, since cattle ranching was becoming a booming industry in the territory. He invested $14,000 (over $400,000 by today’s standards), and spent the following years traveling between New York and his ranch in North Dakota, which he named "Elkhorn Ranch".

During his time in North Dakota, Roosevelt published three books on frontier life and helped organize ranchers to address shared issues. The site on which Elkhorn Ranch is still standing, and is a protected unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Image: Daniel Ian

During his time in North Dakota, Roosevelt didn’t settle with just being a rancher: In 1886, he became a deputy sheriff in Billings County. It was during this time that one of the most action-packed anecdotes of his life took place: the time he helped chase down a gang of boat thieves.

After his beloved boat was stolen, Roosevelt enlisted two of his ranch hands and trailed these thieves through the freezing waters of the Little Missouri River. After three days of bravely coursing through the icy and treacherous river, Roosevelt's group tracked down the thieves and apprehended them. Victorious, Teddy spent the long way back home reading Leon Tolstoi’s classic novel "Anna Karenina."

Image: Sean Foster

We are now entering the period that separates young Teddy from President Roosevelt. However, we can still consider these his juvenile years: After all, Teddy is the youngest president in U.S. history.

After William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, Vice President Roosevelt became the 26th American president, at 42 years of age. While Presidents Kennedy and Clinton were pretty close at taking the title (Kennedy was 43 when he was sworn in, and Clinton was 46), Teddy still remains America’s youngest president (for now, at least).

Image: Melissa McGovern

In 1905, President Roosevelt summoned representatives from Harvard, Columbia, and Yale universities to take on a challenge in sports: the increasing number of injuries and deaths in football. Approximately 45 players died between 1900 and 1905 as a result of collisions, so naturally, Teddy sought to make this beloved sport of his safer.

The changes that Roosevelt added to football include making first down at 10 yards instead of 5, adding a forward pass that would add distance between players, and authorizing a neutral zone between defense and offense. While football is still far from completely safe, these reforms helped reduce the number of casualties and serious injuries.

Image: Laark Boshoff

Did you have a favorite teddy bear as a child? A little huggable companion called "Buttons" or "Snickerdoodle"? Well, you might be surprised to know that, no matter what you called that fuzzy friend, the name "Teddy Bear" itself pays homage to Teddy Roosevelt.

In 1902, President Roosevelt was invited by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino to a hunting trip on "the Magnolia State.'' Since Teddy hadn’t been able to hunt any animal, a group of hunters on the group cornered and tied a black bear to a tree for him to shoot. However, President Roosevelt refused, since he considered it unsportsmanlike. After this anecdote was featured in a Washington Post cartoon, it sparked so much national interest that a Brooklyn-based businessman designed a toy bear and placed him on the window of his shop with the caption "Teddy’s Bear."

Image: Aaron Burden

They say the pen is mightier than the sword, but thanks to this story, we at least know that words are sturdy enough to stop a bullet. In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt was giving a speech in Milwaukee when he suffered an assassination attempt by a man named John Schrank. The would-be assassin shot at the former president, but luckily the bullet was stopped by a stack of papers that contained Roosevelt’s speech.

Determined to prove his "Bull Moose" endurance, Teddy announced to a shocked crowd that he had been shot, only to continue immediately after with his speech. He continued to speak for approximately 90 minutes before finally allowing his staff to take him to a hospital. Roosevelt survived the attempt without any serious injuries, except for the bullet lodged in his ribs that stayed there until his death.

Image: Arnor Ingi Juliusson

In 1914, Teddy Roosevelt met the world’s most famous illusionist aboard the SS Imperator. Houdini was returning from a tour through the United Kingdom, while the former president was returning from a European trip that culminated in his son Kermit’s wedding in Madrid. This odd couple became friends quickly and exercised together every morning.

When Houdini was asked by an officer to perform an impromptu show, the illusionist performed a séance on which he correctly conjectured that Roosevelt had recently been on a trip through Brazil. A flabbergasted Teddy (who didn’t know that Houdini already knew that he would be on the ship) then allegedly asked the magician if he dealt with the dark arts.

Image: Josh Applegate

We’ll end this article with another time in which President Roosevelt met a famous person, although at a time at which he hadn’t gained notoriety yet. In 1918, a young Theodor Geisel, later known as Dr. Seuss, sold war bonds as part of his Boy Scouts troop. Theodor became one of Springfield’s top bond salesmen, so he was recognized alongside other scouts with an award given by former President Roosevelt.

However, at the ceremony, Teddy accidentally received only nine medals for the ten recipients, and, as luck would have it, young Dr. Seuss was the only one without a medal. Since Roosevelt thought that only nine children had been commended, when Theodor crossed the stage the president asked "What’s this kid doing here?" According to the beloved author, this event was the reason he developed a phobia of speaking in front of large crowds.

Can you "dig" this vocabulary?

Do you remember these "groovy" words from the 60s?

Image: Vasilios Muselimis

The 60s were truly a magical time, weren’t they? If there’s one word that truly defined this decade, it would be the word "freedom": After all, the 60s were defined by their revolutionary new takes on music, art, and society in general. In fact, this era was so groundbreaking that it even changed the world we speak, introducing timeless terms to the English language. With that in mind, we have selected 10 terms that gained traction during the 60s. Some of them might seem outdated, while others are still relevant in this day and age: Regardless, all these words defined what it meant to live in the 60s. Enjoy!

Image: Thomas M. Evans

We’ll start with what many consider to be the quintessential 60s word. The word "groovy" (or any of its variations like "groovey" or "groovie") is an extremely versatile term that was mostly used as a synonym for excellent. However, depending on the context, "groovy" could also be used to describe an incredibly fashionable piece of clothing, or an intricate and powerful melody.

According to music historians, this word comes from the world of jazz in the 20s, where the term "groove" was used to describe a mixture of a music’s rhythm and the response by the audience. As you would expect, many songs and albums from the 60s and 70s mention the word "groovy", including bands like Simon & Garfunkel, The Clash, and The Mamas & the Papas.

Image: FollowersofTheShepherd

We might as well consider the words "far out" and "groovy" as synonyms: They are both used to describe something amazing, and they both come from the world of jazz. However, since "far out" can also mean something strange or unconventional, this word also conveys a certain feeling of innovation or creativity.

By the time the 1960s came around, the counterculture movements of this decade picked up this term and popularized it: An inventive beatnik poem or a piece of hippie art could be easily considered to be "far out".

Image: Sarah Kilian

The first negative word in this article, "bummer" is used to describe something disappointing, although it is usually reserved for things that aren’t particularly serious. For instance, a canceled date, an ice-cream cone that fell to the ground, or missing closing time at a coffee shop are all great examples of a bummer.

Interestingly, this term’s first recorded appearance comes from journalist Tom Wolfe, who mentioned the term in his book about the notorious motorcycle gang, the Hell’s Angels. In due time, "bummer" became an extremely popular word, which is still being used today.

Image: Manja Vitolic

No, we are not talking about our favorite feline friends. The term "cat" or "cats" gained prominence in the 60s and 70s as a way to refer to someone particularly cool: In fact, this is actually an abbreviation from the phrase "cool cat". This term was extremely popular during these decades and was referenced in lyrics by iconic artists like David Bowie or Pink Floyd.

"Cat" is yet another '60s term that comes from the world of jazz, where the term was used to describe a lover of jazz music, or someone who was up to date with the latest trends and styles.

Image: Enrico Mantegazza

Keeping in line with our previous entry, an egghead is the exact opposite of a "cool cat". We realize how strange it is to call a farm product the opposite of a common pet, but bear with us, we can assure you it makes sense. The slang word "egghead" describes someone who is, in essence, boring or overly studious. In the 80s, eggheads would be called "squares", while in our current parlance, they would be called a "nerd".

We can see how in the 60s, a decade ruled by long and luscious hairstyles, being called an egghead could be considered a devastating insult: Egghead has the added image of someone who has gone bald from studying too much.

Image: cottonbro studio

If "groovy" was the quintessential word from the 60s, then "Flower power" was the slogan that defined this decade. This phrase was everywhere: Painted in vans, walls and on protest signs all around the world. "Flower power" became the ultimate representation of non-violent and passive resistance movements that were sprouting across America in the 60s.

The phrase was first coined by American poet Allen Ginsberg: In an essay published in 1965, Ginsberg proposed that protesters should hand out flowers to policemen in order to both make a statement and also reduce the tension inherent to a protest. These sorts of flashy practices quickly became popular, leading to the emergence of the term "Flower power".

Image: Andrey Metelev

If someone asks you if you can "dig it", they are not politely asking to grab a shovel and find a buried treasure nearby: What this confusing little phrase means is closer to saying "Do you understand what I’m saying?". However, much like with "groovy", "digging" something relates more to feeling than to knowledge: It basically asks whether you can put yourself in your partner’s shoes.

As you probably guessed by now, this phrase was extremely popular in the 1930s, before gaining a resurgence thanks to the Beatnik movement. However, some believe that it actually dates further back than the 30s: Linguists believe that the phrase comes from the Irish expression an dTuigeann Tú, which means "do you understand?" Since the word dTuigeann sounds remarkably like the verb "dig", many believe that this similarity is the origin of the slang phrase.

Image: Kate Remmer

No, we are not saying that the 60s literally invented bread, which is undoubtedly one of the oldest types of food known to man. The bread we are referring to comes from a slang term that first originated in the 1930s and came back into prominence in the 1960s.

In case you are not familiar with this word, "bread" is slang for money. This use of bread gained traction after being featured in several '60s books, including Hunter S. Thompson’s non-fiction book "Hell’s Angels".

Image: Jakob Owens

While nowadays this term is heavily ingrained in surfer culture, many forget that the 60s are considered to be the heyday of this aquatic sport. In that sense, the phrase "hang loose" (and its associated hand sign) describes one of the most essential aspects of surfing: Having a laid-back attitude that helps you tackle the many difficulties of this sport with a smile on your face.

As expected, the "hang loose" sign comes from the birthplace of modern surfing: Hawaii. Known as the "shaka" sign, this gesture is used by residents of Hawaii to convey friendliness and understanding.

Image: Chang Duong

We’ll end this article by bringing back a term almost lost to time. While we have featured several words that have retained their relevance to modern times, we can’t confidently state that "ginchy" is still as fresh as it was in the late 50s and the 60s. This word, which is used to describe something excellent, was subsequently replaced by the far more popular "cool".

However, there’s much to be said about "ginchy". For one, its original meaning has an aspect that cool doesn’t really represent: "Ginchy" is also used to describe someone attractive or downright beautiful. So, if you ever need a new and unusual word to pay a compliment to a special someone, look no further and help us bring "ginchy" back in style!