January 7, 2019

Yesterday, January 6, was the 100th anniversary of the death of former United States President Theodore Roosevelt in 1919. During his presidency from 1901 to 1909, Roosevelt fought for reforms that would benefit the American people. He became known as a “trust buster” because he tried to limit the power of great business corporations. During his administration, Congress passed laws to regulate the railroads, to protect the public from harmful foods and drugs, and to conserve the nation’s forests and other natural resources.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt died 100 years ago on Jan. 6, 1919. Credit: Library of Congress

Roosevelt was a man of great energy and practiced what he called the “strenuous life.” He enjoyed horseback riding, swimming, hunting, hiking, and boxing. He often expressed enthusiasm for something by describing it as “bully.” Cartoonists liked to draw Roosevelt with his rimless glasses, bushy mustache, prominent teeth, and jutting jaw. One cartoon showed him with a bear cub. Soon, toymakers were producing stuffed animals that are still known as “teddy bears.”

This portrait of Theodore Roosevelt hangs in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Credit: Theodore Roosevelt (1967, after 1908 original), oil on canvas by Adrian Lamb, after Philip Alexius de László; Smithsonian Institution

Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City on Oct. 27, 1858. After graduation from Harvard University in 1880, Roosevelt won election to the New York State Assembly. He later served as president of the Board of Police Commissioners in New York City and assistant secretary of the Navy. After the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Roosevelt helped form a cavalry regiment—the “Rough Riders”—that gained fame for its battle exploits in Cuba. After the war, Roosevelt won election as governor of New York. Two years later, he was elected vice president on the ticket with President William McKinley.

The face of Theodore Roosevelt (third from left) graces Mount Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota. The other presidents depicted are (from left) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. Credit: © Shutterstock

Roosevelt had been vice president for only six months when McKinley was assassinated in September 1901. Roosevelt then became the youngest president—aged just 42—in U.S. history. He won wide popularity, and millions of Americans affectionately called him “Teddy” or “T.R.” In 1904, the voters elected him to a full term as president.

In foreign relations, Roosevelt worked to make the United States a world leader. He felt that this leadership must be supported by strong armed forces. He expressed his foreign policy as: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Roosevelt strengthened the U.S. Navy, began the construction of the Panama Canal, and kept European nations from interfering in Latin America. He helped end the Russo-Japanese War, and became the first American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Roosevelt ran for president again in 1912, as the “Bull Moose” party candidate, but lost the election to Woodrow Wilson. Roosevelt was considering another run at the presidency in 1920, but he died unexpectedly at age 60 of a blood clot in the heart.

August 25, 2016

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, in southeastern Alaska, is the largest national park in the United States. It covers more than 8 million acres (3 million hectares) and features many towering mountain peaks and glaciers. Credit: © David Muench/Stone from Getty Images

Today, August 25, is the 100^th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS is a bureau of the United States Department of the Interior. It manages the approximately 400 areas of the National Park System. The NPS preserves many natural landscapes and historic and archaeological sites and structures. To mark the NPS centenary, special events will take place across the country, and all national parks will have free admission from August 25 to 28. The events include a solar-powered vehicle race through nine parks in seven Midwestern states; classical music performances and naturalization ceremonies in several parks; and a special Girl Scout and Boy Scout chat from Lewis and Clark National Historical Park with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. The bureau’s 100th birthday will also be celebrated at several Major League and Minor League Baseball parks.

This map shows the locations of the national parks of the United States, which form part of the country’s National Park System. Most of the national parks are in the western half of the continental United States and in Alaska. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

Conservationist John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt did much to create the parks and the protected lands that led to the formation of the NPS in 1916. Stephen T. Mather, the first NPS director, actively promoted and expanded the bureau and its protected lands. From 1916 to 1929, Mather increased the number of national parks from 16 to 25; the number of national monuments from 21 to 32; and doubled the total system area from nearly 5 million acres (2 million hectares) to about 10 million acres (4 million hectares). Today, the National Park System includes more than 84 million acres (34 million hectares).

Oversized representations of the U.S. Mint’s coins commemorating the National Park Service centennial stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Credit: National Park Service/U.S. Mint

The U.S. Mint is commemorating the NPS centennial by issuing three limited edition coins: a five-dollar gold coin, a silver dollar, and a half-dollar coin. The coins feature images of parks, the NPS arrowhead logo, depictions of the exploration of nature, and portrayals of the multicultural heritage of the United States. The U.S. Postal Service is celebrating the NPS centennial with 16 new Forever stamps featuring national parks.