Teddy Roosevelt first President to fly

[valley ranch]

On October 11, 1910, Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to fly in an airplane. On his way to visit to St. Louis, a year and a half after he left office, he stopped at an aviation field in Kinloch, MO. A pilot named Alex Hoxsey had just descended from a flight and soon was introduced to the former president. "Colonel," Hoxsey said, " I'd like to have you for a passenger."

Roosevelt lost no time, replying only, "Thanks," and climbing into the plane.

An article in the following day's New York Tribune recounts the flight in great detail:

"The aeroplane sped quickly around the field at a height of less than one hundred feet. It made the first lap of a mile and a half before news percolated through the crowd that Mr. Roosevelt was Hoxsey's passenger. When he swept past the grandstand he leaned forward a bit and waved his hands. The spectators seemed frightened and remained silent, watching the aeroplane intently.

The flying machine sped by and made the turn for the second lap. Hoxsey could be seen to bend over and shout something into Mr. Roosevelt's ear. The engine cracked regularly, hurling the aeroplane forward at a speed of nearly a mile a minute, but from the ground it looked as though it were travelling much slower because it sailed so evenly and smoothly. There was not a breath of wind, and the engine did not miss fire once."

The pilot had been warning Roosevelt to hold onto the rail, lest his he interfere with the engines or fall out. "Mr. Roosevelt's first act after alighting was to shake Hoxsey's hand vigorously. 'It was great! First class! It was the finest experience I have ever had,' he declared. 'I wish I could stay up for an hour, but I haven't the time this afternoon.'"

Now running behind schedule, Roosevelt continued on to his other stops, where he spoke excitedly of his recent experience. At the state fairgrounds, he greeted a group of more than a thousand schoolchildren, apologizing for his tardiness. "As I know you all well, I know that you would all play hooky for a week to go up in an airship, so I know you won't blame me for being late."

 

[thistlebloom]

I like Teddy. I've read a few books on his ranch life, he was quite the bold adventurer.

 

[valley ranch]

Folks had a picture of him on the staircase wall.

He was/is worth quoting, he said things so clearly;

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.

“Believe you can and you're halfway there.”

“When you're at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on”

“The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.”

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”

“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” [We all remember this one.]

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care”

“To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”

“Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right.”

“Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.”

“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.”

“When you play, play hard; when you work, don't play at all.”
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There are too many to post and too many, at one time,can get in the way of hearing any one of them.
Remember the Teddy Bear.

 

[valley ranch]

It was 117 years ago today: The U.S. becomes a global power

By NCC Staff 17 hours ago

• On August 12, 1898, the United States and Spain reached a cease-fire agreement in its brief conflict over Cuba and the Philippines. The war marked America’s entrance onto the global stage as a military power.
  
  
  View photo
  
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  Colonel Theodore Roosevelt
  
  The Spanish-American War is just one of five conflicts where Congress approved an official declaration of war using its constitutional powers. In total, war declarations have been declared by Congress in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II.
  
  The dispute between the two nations over Cuba had been simmering for decades. Earlier in the 19th Century, American forces landed on Cuban soil on several occasions to pursue pirates, and then the United States’ government tried to buy Cuba from Spain.
  
  Prior to the war declaration by Congress on April 25, 1898, tensions were high as United States business interests eyed the sugar-producing industry in Cuba. The island had been ravaged by three years of civil war, which had been highly dramatized in some American newspapers.
  
  And after the sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana’s harbor on February 15, war seemed inevitable. The Maine had been sent to Cuba by President William McKinley to safeguard American interests. On March 9, 1898 Congress passed a law to build up the United States’ military strength. On March 28, 1898 an investigation found that a mine blew up the Maine.
  
  On April 21 President McKinley orders a blockade of Cuba, leading to Spain breaking off diplomatic relations, and four days later the U.S. Congress declared war on Spain, two days after Spain issued its own war declaration.
  
  The actual fighting in the declared war lasted for a 10-week period. On May 1, in Manila Bay, Commodore George Dewey’s Asiatic Squadron defeated the Spanish naval force located in the Philippines, another Spanish possession. In June, American troops captured Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and attacked the harbor city of Santiago. After defeating the Spanish army on the ground in Cuba, the U.S. used its Navy to destroy the Spanish Caribbean squadron in July.
  
  By late July, France intervened for Spain to start peace negotiations, and a cease-fire was signed on August 12. The final peace between U.S. and Spanish governments came with the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898.
  
  The costs to Spain were heavy. It had to guarantee the independence of Cuba, give Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States, and agree to sell the Philippines to the United States for the sum of $20 million.
  
  For the United States, the monetary cast was $250 million for the war. About 3,000 troops died in the conflict, with an estimated 90 percent dying from diseases.
  
  But there was one final constitutional step in the process: the U.S. Senate had to ratify the treaty in February 1899, and that was far from guaranteed.
  
  A two-thirds majority of the Senate is needed to approve a treaty, and a powerful anti-Imperialist group opposed expanding the United States into a global power. The lobby included former Presidents Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland, and industrialist Andrew Carnegie.
  
  The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty on February 6, 1899, by a margin of just one vote, after William Jennings Bryan decided to support a treaty backed by his arch rival, President McKinley.
  
  Also, during the conflict, the United States annexed Hawaii. A joint resolution of Congress made Hawaii a U.S. territory on August 12, 1898, as concerns grew about its strategic importance in protecting the prospective new American interests in the Pacific. The United States also purchased a perpetual lease on Guantanamo Bay in Cuba in the war’s aftermath.
  
  Recent Historical Stories on Constitution Daily
  
  http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2015/08/five-little-known-men-who-almost-became-president/