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Theodore Roosevelt was born into a wealthy and prominent New York family on October 27, 1858. He was born in his family's four-story brownstone at 28 East 20th Street in Manhattan. Despite his privileged upbringing, his early life was marked by serious health problems, most notably chronic, debilitating asthma.
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After President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt, then the Vice President, assumed the presidency. He was sworn into office on September 14, 1901, and became the youngest president in U.S. history at age 42. His sudden ascension marked the beginning of an energetic and transformative progressive era in American politics. -
The Anthracite Coal Strike was a large labor dispute where 147,000 miners in Pennsylvania went on strike, led by the United Mine Workers (UMW) president John Mitchell. Their demands included better working conditions, higher wages, and recognition of their union. The strike was a response to unfair labor practices, dangerous mining environments, and low pay.
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The act was specifically aimed at ending the practice of railroads giving rebates, or secret discounts, to large, powerful corporate shippers. It made it illegal for railroads to offer rebates and for shippers to accept them, authorized the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to impose heavy fines on any railroad or shipper found in violation, and made the railroad corporation itself liable for punishment, along with its officers and employees.
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It was the first national wildlife refuge in the United States. Its creation was a response to the decline of bird populations due to plume hunting and marked the beginning of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The refuge protects the nesting habitats of brown pelicans and other wading birds, along with numerous other threatened and endangered species. -
Theodore Roosevelt won his first full term as President of the United States in the 1904 election. He defeated Democratic challenger Alton B. Parker.
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Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove were returned to federal control under President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. This happened after a camping trip in 1903 with naturalist John Muir, which led to Roosevelt signing a bill that made these areas part of Yosemite National Park.
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The Pure Food and Drug Act was signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt, prohibiting the interstate sale of misbranded or adulterated food and drugs and preventing the introduction of dangerous ingredients into food and medicines. Prompted by public outcry over unsanitary conditions revealed in Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle, the act was a major achievement of the Progressive Era and a landmark in consumer protection and the history of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). -
President Theodore Roosevelt declared Devils Tower in Wyoming the nation's first national monument under the newly passed Antiquities Act. The geologic formation is a striking igneous monolith that rises 867 feet above its base and is sacred to multiple Native American tribes, including the Lakota and Cheyenne. It was set aside for protection to preserve its unique characteristics and spiritual significance.
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Theodore Roosevelt left the presidency and immediately embarked on a major scientific and big-game hunting expedition to Africa. This safari, known as the Smithsonian-Roosevelt African Expedition, lasted for nearly a year and was chronicled by Roosevelt in his book African Game Trails. -
Theodore Roosevelt ran unsuccessfully for president in 1912 as the nominee of the Progressive Party, popularly known as the Bull Moose Party. His candidacy, which split the Republican vote, was one of the most successful third-party campaigns in U.S. history.