Original photo by New Africa/ Shutterstock
Teddy Roosevelt is often thought of as one of America’s toughest presidents, and for good reason. In addition to delivering a speech immediately after getting shot (“It takes more than that to kill a bull moose,” he said during his remarks) and fighting in the Spanish-American War as part of the Rough Riders, he was also a skilled martial artist who received an honorary black belt in judo (and, according to some, was the first American to receive a brown belt). He accomplished the latter under the tutelage of Yamashita Yoshitsugu, also known as Yamashita Yoshiaki, a Japanese judoka who holds the distinction of being the first person to receive a 10th-degree red belt (jūdan).
Oops, incorrect!
It's a factThe elder Roosevelt was 42 when he became president, making him the youngest person ever to hold the office. Next on the list are JFK (43), Bill Clinton (46), Ulysses S. Grant (46), and Barack Obama (47).
Even more impressively, he did all this while serving as president. Already a skilled boxer and wrestler, he first encountered judo on a trip to Japan and sought to study it further upon his return stateside. Yamashita described the president as “his best pupil” but also “very heavy and very impetuous” in a way that “cost the poor professor many bruisings, much worry, and infinite pains.” As in most aspects of his life, Roosevelt was extremely enthusiastic about this endeavor — sometimes in a way that others struggled to keep up with.
Numbers Don't Lie
More Interesting Reads
Teddy Roosevelt’s vice president was ______.
Ready to reveal?
Confirm your email to play the next question?
Teddy Roosevelt’s vice president was Charles W. Fairbanks.
Teddy Roosevelt was the first U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Roosevelt received this honor in 1906 “for his role in bringing to an end the bloody war recently waged between two of the world’s great powers, Japan and Russia.” Prior to his intervention, the Russo-Japanese War had gone on for more than a year and a half and led to significant casualties on both sides. Not everyone was pleased about Roosevelt winning — Swedish newspapers suggested that Alfred Nobel, the prize’s namesake, was “turning in his grave” — but defenders have pointed to Roosevelt’s role in settling a dispute between France and Germany over Morocco. As of 2024, three other U.S. presidents and one vice president have received the Nobel Peace Prize: Woodrow Wilson (1919), Jimmy Carter (2002), Al Gore (2007), and Barack Obama (2009).
Michael Nordine is a writer and editor living in Denver. A native Angeleno, he has two cats and wishes he had more.
top picks from the optimism network
Interesting Facts is part of Optimism, which publishes content that uplifts, informs, and inspires.
