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108 years ago today, before a campaign speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt is shot at close range by saloonkeeper John Schrank with a .32-caliber bullet
108 years ago today, before a campaign speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt is shot at close range by saloonkeeper John Schrank with a .32-caliber bullet. Roosevelt went on to deliver his full scheduled speech with the bullet still in his body. ⠀⠀⠀ Teddy Roosevelt was the Extraordinary Gentleman of American history. In addition to living an absurdly accomplished life – which included, among other things, becoming the youngest man to become president, the first American to win a Nobel Peace Prize, and being awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor – he set the template for the all-conquering hero whose answer to most problems is to roll up his sleeves and punch the world into submission. While this sounds cool in theory, the world usually punches back – much harder.⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ So it was that Theodore spent virtually his entire life in a staring contest with death. Over and over, Roosevelt strolled right into situations that likely would have killed anybody el