History Fandom - Theodore Roosevelt!

He was once shot in the chest just before a campaign speech and was saved by the copy of the speech and his glasses case in his jacket pocket, but went ahead and gave the speech with a bullet wound in his chest, barely within an inch of his heart. The opening line of his speech was "Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose."

After he received letters from army cavalrymen complaining about having to ride 25 miles a day for training, in response, Teddy rode horseback for 100 miles, from sunrise to sunset, at 51 years old, effectively rescinding anyone's right to complain about anything, ever again.

It's not well known, given his well-earned reputation as a badass, but as a child Theodore Roosevelt was thin and sickly from severe asthma. Through sheer willpower and physical exertion, he overcame his hereditary shortcomings and became a true man's man.

My favorite part of that page:

"Roosevelt died of what would now be called an autoimmune disease. That's right, the only person who could kill Teddy Roosevelt… was Teddy Roosevelt"

Like, WOW.