Theodore Roosevelt, from Cowboy to President

I was speaking from a platform on the caboose of the train, giving a speech and greeting people, when I was the target of an attempted assassination on October 14, 1912. John Schrank shot me in the chest just prior to a speech that I was to deliver in Milwaukee.

Thank God, my spectacle case and folded speech, in his vest pocket, deflected the bullet and probably saved my life.

In spite of the bullet lodged in my chest, though bleeding and in pain, I did not let on and went ahead with the speech. I fully recovered from the wound in only two weeks, but I still carry that .38 caliber bullet in my chest today. I might add, it hurt like hell, but I would give no satisfaction to those who would try to stop me.

The Bull Moose name came about when I had to answer questions about my health after being shot and still campaigning for president. We named the third party the "Bull Moose" party because I constantly answered health inquiries with "I feel as strong as a bull moose," despite being shot.