In 1912, a mentally ill bartender rushed Theodore Roosevelt outside of a Milwaukee hotel and shot the Progressive Party Presidential nominee in the chest with a .32 caliber revolver.
Though blood was soaking into the upper left side of his shirt and the bullet was still lodged in his chest, Roosevelt insisted on delivering the speech that he had prepared for the event.
“Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible,” he said. “I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot.”
From his coat pocket, he pulled out the 50-page speech, which now bore a bullet hole through the center.
“It takes more than that to stop a Bull Moose.”
On Sunday, at the Bridgeville Historical Society’s January program, Dr. Jack Aupperle discussed the life and vast legacy of Roosevelt, whose nicknames alone could have filled the presentation (The Hero of San Juan Hill, The Rough Rider, Old Four Eyes, The Trust Buster, The Lion in the White House, etc.)
Next month, on Sunday, Feb. 25 Gary Augustine will discuss Hollywood, World War II, and the movie. The presentation begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Chartiers Room at the Bridgeville fire hall.