Labor Day Signals the End of Summer, Though Not Really

Labor Day comes on the first Monday of the ninth month. That’s September 7^th this year. Many people feel that the national holiday means summer is ending with the three-day weekend. Actually, summer doesn’t end this year until 16 days later on September 23^rd at 4:21 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time.

Since Labor Day comes during the last few days of summer, it has the reputation of indicating the fun time of the hot months is ending. Most public school systems begin before or shortly after Labor Day adding to the feelings that the vacation time of summer is ending.

The holiday came from the country’s labor movement that began in the 1800’s when union groups wanted a special day that would celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers. On February 21, 1887, Oregon was the first state to pass a law making Labor Day a holiday. By 1894, 31 states adopted the holiday.

On June of 1894, the U.S. Congress passed an act that made the first Monday in September a federal holiday. The holiday extended beyond the 50 states to the District of Columbia and the inhabited territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, The Northern Marianas, The U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.

Celebrations for Labor Day have changed since it began 121 years ago. Parades, especially in large industrial cities, aren’t as common as during the first several years of the holiday. It’s become a more family-orientated holiday with people looking to squeeze a last bit of fun away from work and school.

The theme of Labor Day remains true to its name. Our country’s high standard of living comes from the vital force of productivity provided by those who labor. This productivity brings us constantly closer to the realization of the country’s traditional ideas of economic and political democracy.

Thanks for reading this blog. Come back to this space to find another interesting subject. See my website at www.joevlatino.com.   

World Population Figures Exceed Previous Predictions

According to recent studies sponsored by the United Nations (UN), the number of people living on earth will pass 11 billion by the end of this century. Our current worldwide count is 7.5 billion.

Demography studies, the science of human population, gave estimates in the mid-1980s predicting a slowdown in both birth rates and world populations by now. The lower birth rate estimates became true, but populations in countries throughout the world continue to increase, contrary to the predictions. 

People are living much longer than the demographic scientists concluded just 30 years ago. Life expectancies continue to increase, and that accounts for the larger numbers of people living on earth.

The UN studies show that China continues to have the largest percentage of people with 19.24% of the total planet population. By the end of August 2015, the population in China will reach 1.5 billion. At the end of August, the population of India will be in second place with 1.3 billion people, 17.50% of the world’s population.

United States occupants total the third largest population with 350 million estimated by the end of August. In fourth place is Indonesia with 257 million, and Brazil is in fifth place at an estimated 204 million by the end of this month.

Population density in major cities throughout the world causes increased demands for water, food and basic sanitation. This strains the world’s resources for humans as well as all species on the planet. Increased recycling is the single most important action by nations that will continue to conserve our resources and ease the strain from the increasing waste generated by populations.

Expanding landfills that hold and process human-generated waste continue to increase in size. The World Bank released figures on waste disposal that indicated that 2.4 billion tons of solid waste would go into our world’s landfills by 2025. That’s only ten years away.

The long-term effects of population growth will influence the quality of life for generations that exceed us. Most adults alive today will be dead by the year 2100. Plans need to begin now to cope with the number of people who will need the basics of food, clothing and shelter as the population increases.

Some solutions underway now include developing low-water farming for crops that can grow in desert areas. The planet has millions of square miles of deserts that could be used to farm food. Tapping into the oceans to both supply us with water and places to farm is in the realm of reality.

Outrageous solutions include colonizing other planets. NASA has plans to explore Mars within our lifetimes. Life support is a deal breaker in putting humans in outer space colonies. Do scientists really believe the pioneer spirit of discovering new territories can include placing cities under huge domes so people can have air to breathe? That’s unlikely and would never include enough people to reduce the earth’s population.

Technologies will improve when incentives to profit from such changes come along. Scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs all want to get paid for their work. When making a dollar is the incentive, people developing solutions will solve the problems. Meantime, the simple mantra from the protectors of our planet is the truth—reduce, reuse, recycle. 

Thank you for reading this blog. Come back to this space later this month and read about another topic. You can also visit my website at www.joevlatino.com.   

Thousands of Ancient Terracotta Statues Honor China’s First Emperor

Farmers digging a well in a field outside the city of Xian, China uncovered the first piece of evidence that led to one of the largest archaeological discoveries in the world. It was March, 1974, and the seven workers had dug 13 feet in their attempts to find water when their shovels hit a hard object. They brought up a head from a life-sized soldier made of terracotta, a type of clay sculpture material.

The farmers kept digging and found pieces of several sculpted soldiers. Giving up on trying to find water, the workers notified Chinese government officials about the discovery. They brought in scientists and archaeologists who began a painstakingly slow process of uncovering thousands of similar soldiers lined up in formation underneath the ground, all facing east.

Crowned King at 13 Years Old

Chinese government officials immediately recognized what the farmers found. It was part of a huge, elaborate mausoleum dedicated to the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Pronounced “chin shuh hwang,” his named translated to King of the State of Qin. He became king in 246 B.C. at 13 years old. The country of China was named after his family name Qin.

He died in 210 B.C. after uniting six waring kingdoms into one powerful nation.  Qin ordered the construction of the gigantic burial complex to honor his memory. The terracotta soldiers were placed in underground chambers surrounding the emperor’s tomb to guard him in his travel to the afterlife. They faced east to prevent the kingdoms he conquered in the eastern part of China from rising up and destroying his burial site.

                                     Burial Mound Center of Mausoleum Complex

Historians knew for hundreds of years that Qin’s mausoleum existed underneath a large mound or hill in the area where the farmers dug. However, the existence of thousands of terracotta statues surrounding the burial mound wasn’t known until the local farmers found the first one in 1974.

The burial complex consisted of the emperor’s tomb and three separate groups of terracotta foot soldiers, archers armed with crossbows and a group of 86 commanders. The complex including the tomb and buried soldiers covered an area compared to the size of Manhattan, N.Y.

                                        Different Face Put on Each Soldier

The first chamber contained more than 6,000 terracotta figures made to look like infantrymen. An estimated 3,000 more still remain buried. Each soldier had a unique face and a uniform of armor. Details go all the way to the statues’ sandals that have tread on the soles, indicating that each figure was hand-made. Clay molds found with the figures show that basic pieces of the figures such as skulls, arms and legs were cast. The faces and clothes, however, had to be created individually. Each soldier weighed more than 300 pounds.

At the time of his death, Qin’s burial complex took artists and architects 36 years to complete. Each unique statue took 30 days or more to complete. Hundreds of craftsmen worked on the project.   

                                          Qin’s Army Dominated with Cross-bows  

Another room or chamber holds warriors armed with crossbows. That was a powerful weapon unique to Qin’s army. Mounted warriors used the cross-bow to massacre soldiers of other kingdoms that resisted being conquered by Qin’s army. Life-sized horses and chariots all made of terracotta were found among the warriors. A group of 86 ornate statues representing the commanders of the army were placed together inside a third area.

Historians believe that a step pyramid covered the top of the actual location of emperor’s body. Written records from famed historian Sima Qian reveal that the interior of the pyramid contained thousands of jewels and pearls used to simulate the sky inside the structure. Sima wrote about Qin in the first century B.C. His account of the valuable gems and gold used inside the ceiling of the pyramid indicated that the value of the treasure in the tomb was priceless.

The emperor’s tomb was never opened by archeologists and it remained untouched by grave robbers because of the fear of deadly contamination and booby traps. The tomb builders installed hidden crossbows that would be triggered in the passageways to kill intruders, according to the ancient records. Poisoning from high levels of mercury found in the soil of the funeral mound offered another deterrent to intruders, although that was unintentional. Another reason the treasures of Qin’s tomb remained undisturbed came from the Chinese government that wouldn’t let the resting place of the first emperor be violated by the excavating work of archeologists.

Qin’s Quest for Immortality Caused his Mortality

Ingesting mercury was considered a way of extending one’s life, according to the ancient Chinese. Qin took mercury pills regularly because he believed that would help him achieve immortality. He slowly poisoned himself and died at 49 years old because of the mercury he hoped would extend his life. Near the end of his life his behavior was irrational, and he showed signs of paranoia from the poison he voluntarily ate daily. No documentation describes his last days, but he must have suffered extreme pain as the mercury invaded his system.

Inside the tomb, Qin had a stream or river of mercury placed around his burial chamber, because he believed in the element’s magical powers. Sima wrote about the river or moat of mercury. Soil samples showed life-threatening levels of mercury. Scientists knew any digging in that soil would be very dangerous.

Great Achievements Offset by Tyranny, Cruelty

Qin showed great leadership in uniting the six kingdoms of the country that became China. The kingdoms had been warring among themselves for 200 years until he conquered all of them in 221 B.C. Some kingdoms accepted his rule willingly. The areas that resisted were conquered by bloody battles that resulted in the women and children being slaughtered as well as their warriors. He made himself the first emperor in the 25^th year of his reign.

He also established a common language and currency among the newly united areas. By his decree the country began using the same types of weights and measurements, and more than 5,000 miles of roads were constructed. Qin started an early version of The Great Wall of China in the far northern part of the continent.

In contrast to his benevolent acts to improve the societies of the different kingdoms, Qin was a tyrant and a murderer on a large scale. More than 1 million people were killed by his army that traveled from the eastern side of China to the western border as they forced the warring kingdoms to submit to his rule.  Warriors of the neighboring cities often outnumbered Qin’s army, but his soldiers devastated their enemies with their superior tactics and weapons.

Qin tolerated no one who opposed him. He ordered the killing of hundreds of scholars who disagreed with him.  His preferred methods of execution were beheading and burying victims alive. He had any books burned if they contained criticisms of his reign. He was obsessed with trying to live forever, and he killed 480 doctors and scientists who failed to find a method to give him immortality.

Tomb was Another Route for Immortality

The emperor knew his search for immortality was a long shot since no one had achieved it. He started the decades-long construction of his tomb so that when he died he would find everlasting life in the afterworld. The great treasures were put there for his use after death. The terracotta soldiers, he thought, would be his guardians forever.

To ensure his worldly pleasures and companionships, he had his dozens of concubines buried alive in his tomb at the time of his death. His close advisors were left inside the tomb when it was sealed. Also left alive inside the tomb were hundreds of artists and construction supervisors so that the secrets of the burial chamber would remain secret.

Future Excavations Likely

Archeologists agree that the dangers in opening Qin’s tomb will be overcome as future excavating methods improve. Since the initial findings of the terracotta soldiers in 1974, digging techniques have already improved in uncovering more of the buried soldiers. The bright paint used on the statues would flake off when the soldiers were opened to the atmosphere. Newer techniques now allow the lacquered colors of the soldiers and artifacts to remain original.

Thank you for reading about the terracotta soldiers. Come back to this space later this month to read another interesting blog. Check wwwjoevlatino.com to read my web site.

Statue of Liberty Waited More Than a Year for a Place to Stand

The French ship Isere carried a unique cargo into the New York City harbor June 7, 1885. Loaded with 450,000 pounds of copper and iron, the frigate held 214 large crates full of statue pieces. The giant puzzle went together more than a year later to erect The Statue of Liberty. It was the tallest structure in New York City at that time.

The Lady was left languishing inside shipping boxes for months because America stopped building her pedestal when money for the large project ran out. Progress of the statue’s construction stopped and restarted several times both in France and the United States before Lady Liberty was set in place on a small island in the harbor. President Grover Cleveland officiated the dedication of The Statue of Liberty on October 28, 1886.

A gift from the people of France, Lady Liberty symbolized friendship with America and the shared feelings of freedom and democracy. The statue’s original purpose was meant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence. France missed the July 4, 1876, deadline by more than ten years because work on the statue stalled when the money ran out.

Contributions for the statue came from the citizens of France and the United States, not from the governments of either country. France agreed to pay the bills to construct the statue and ship it to New York City. It was the United States’ job to construct a pedestal to support the massive monument on Bedloe’s Island in the harbor.

As the construction progressed, France displayed pieces of the statue inside Paris to keep interest in the project going. That helped generate enough contributions to complete the statue in June, 1884.

Liberty’s right arm holding a torch was the first part of the statue that was completed. It was shipped to Philadelphia and displayed during the Centennial Exposition in 1876. The arm and torch section was displayed later in New York’s Madison Square Park before it went back to France. Visitors paid fifty cents to see the display. Money from ticket sales generated new interest and more contributions that were desperately needed.

Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of “The New York Times,” made a large contribution to help finance the pedestal’s completion. The wealthy entrepreneur solicited money from rich people living in New York, and he helped get the money needed to complete the project. His six-month campaign raised more than $100,000.00, and Liberty’s base was finished. That’s when the tedious task of assembling the statue from the hundreds of pieces began.

The traditional story about school children financing the cost of the pedestal with their pennies is only partly true. Pennies did help pay for the pedestal that had cement walls up to 20 feet thick. Actually, it was the deep pockets of Pulitzer and his wealthy friends that paid for the majority of the project.     

The completed statue was displayed in Paris until early 1885 when she was dismantled and prepared for shipping to the U.S. The outer skin consisted of 179,000 pounds of copper. The internal superstructure was made of 250,000 pounds of iron. She stood 151 feet tall from her feet to the top of her torch. Once the pedestal was finally completed, Lady Liberty was hoisted on top of it and measured 305 feet from the base of the pedestal to the top of her torch.

Auguste Bartholdi

Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi created the statue. He named it “Liberty Enlightening the World,” which is the official title of Lady Liberty. He drew the basic design in 1867 and kept tweaking the image of Lady Liberty until construction began in Paris in the winter of 1875. That start was much too late for Bartholdi to meet the original deadline set a year later. To follow the original theme of the statue, the sculptor had the Lady holding a tablet in her left hand that read July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals.

Gustave Eiffel

Gustave Eiffel was picked to engineer the structure of the statue. He used an iron superstructure to frame the inside of the Statue of Liberty. Wood was used to give Lady her shape, and thin, copper sheets were pounded into shape and riveted into the wood. This process was designed by Eiffel to prevent contact between the copper surface and the iron interior, preventing corrosion and wear of the two metals. The copper was 3/32nds of an inch, about the thickness of a penny.

Eiffel distinguished himself a few years later when he designed the Eiffel Tower that became a Paris landmark in March, 1889. Bartholdi selected Bedloe’s Island to be the home of the monument. The sculptor toured the New York City Harbor years earlier and selected the island. He thought it was a perfect location for the stature to signify what he called “the gateway to America.” Congress changed the name of Bedloe’s Island to Liberty Island in 1938.

One hundred years of exposure to the salty harbor air took their toll on the monument. A major restoration project closed the statue in 1985 and part of 1986 so that needed repairs and improvements could be completed. It cost $87 million to bring Lady Liberty back to her original glory. The money consisted of donations. No government funds were used.

The repairs included replacing the 1,600 iron bands holding the statue’s copper skin in place. An elevator was installed, and a new, brighter torch was added. The original torch can be viewed by visitors inside the base of the pedestal. The Lady officially reopened on July 4, 1986.

Surprisingly, little was done to Lady’s copper skin. When visitors approach the statue for the first time, they often are stuck by her green color. That’s from a natural oxidation of the copper that acts as a preservative. It’s called patina.

An estimated 3.5 million people visit The Statue of Liberty annually. Most of them don’t see a subtle but important feature. In front of Liberty’s left foot is a long, sculpted piece of broken chain beneath her toga. Bartholdi put it there to symbolize freedom from oppression, which is the message “Liberty Enlightening the World” was built to give the world.

A recent renovation costing about $30 million greatly improved the stairways inside the monument. It made the interior wheelchair-accessible to the observation decks. For the first time, wheelchair visitors can get into the statue’s crown. The monument’s interior was closed for one year and reopened in October, 2012, after the stairwells were improved. That’s another example of how the Statue of Liberty will always be maintained and improved for future generations. 

Thanks for reading this blog. Visit this space in August to read another interesting subject. See my website at www.joevlatino.com.  

Women’s Suffrage: A Long Time Coming Just A Short While Ago

With our Independence Day celebrations this year, our country turned 239 years old. Yet next month will mark only the 95^th anniversary of women getting suffrage-the right to vote.  Female citizens had to wait 144 years before securing the right to vote, it was a long fought effort and extremely overdue.

On August 18, 1920, the 19^th Amendment became federal law. The 19^th Amendment reads: “The right of citizens to vote shall not be abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Incredibly, these very words were proposed once a year for 41 years before the amendment was passed by the U.S. Congress on June 4, 1919. The two-thirds majority of states needed to ratify the amendment was met 14 months later by Tennessee in 1920.

The historical vote cleared the Tennessee House by one vote. Records verify that the deciding vote was cast by Harry Burns, 24. The junior representative carried a letter from his mother urging him, “Don’t forget to be a good boy. Vote for suffrage.”

Anthony, Cady Stanton, and Stone

The Women’s Suffrage movement has a recorded beginning in 1848 when the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention, passed a resolution in favor of women’s right to vote. Two national suffrage organizations were established in 1869. The competing organizations were formed, one led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the other led by Lucy Stone.

After years of bitter rivalry they merged in 1890 as the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) with Anthony as its leading force. That was an important year for NAWSA when the Territory of Wyoming was granted statehood. As the 44th U.S. state, Wyoming immediately granted women the right to vote. Within ten years the NAWSA influenced three other states to grant suffrage to women--Utah, Colorado and Idaho. No other states joined in the big move to give women voting equality until the Federal Government made it a law.

NAWSA struggled for 30 years to promote women’s right to vote. The Suffragettes, which they called themselves, staged parades, rallies and events that often got them arrested. The group leaders encouraged civil disobedience, and local laws regarding assembling unauthorized groups often were ignored.

The leaders of NAWSA knew that they had to convince people in small towns to join the cause of women’s rights. Getting both men and women committed at the grass roots level of society was the core of their strategy. Many people considered the idea of women’s suffrage a radical change of the U.S. Constitution.

The movement lasted so long from its early start in the mid-1800’s that few of the early supporters lived to see the final victory. Mothers passed the spirit of suffrage to their daughters and granddaughters. When women’s freedom to vote finally happened in 1920 it enfranchised all American women by declaring they, like men, deserved the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. 

Thanks for reading this blog. Come back to this space later this month for information about how France shipped its gift of The Statue of Liberty to New York. You can also visit my website at www.joevlatino.com for a sample of my short stories.

Teenage Girl, Like Paul Revere, Rode to Warn About British Invasion

Sybil Ludington was the oldest child of Colonel Henry Ludington, a commander of colonial militia men in rural New York State during the American Revolution. On the evening of April 26, 1777, the sixteen-year-old girl rode into a pitch dark night to warn citizens of surrounding towns that British soldiers were attacking a nearby city. Her trek was just days after the second anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous ride to warn his community of the beginning of war with England. 

In April, 1777, the war against England was two years old. The battles consisted of scattered skirmishes between well-equipped British troops and the often poorly-supplied Colonial Army. Militia troops were volunteers outside the ranks of the U.S. Army.

Known as citizen soldiers, the men consisted of farmers and merchants who were ready to fight against British invasions. Militia volunteers risked being charged with treason and given a death sentence if they were captured. They were poorly equipped and usually carried black powder muskets passed down from fathers and grandfathers. 

Colonel Ludington, Sybil’s father, was a New York militia officer and leader of a local group called The Committee of Safety. He operated a farm with his family of 13 children in Paterson, NY. Volunteers made up the group of 400 civilian fighters who stayed ready to defend against an invasion from England and domination by King James III.

On April 25, 1777, British General William Tryon landed a raiding party on the shore of Fairfield, Connecticut, and marched to the city of Danbury the next day. Danbury was a major supply center of the Continental Army in the Hudson River Valley. Supplies included thousands of barrels of salt pork, flour, molasses, rice and rum. Non-perishable items included cots, tents and shoes. These items were supplies the Colonial Army needed for the war.

The Brits marched into Danbury and drove off members of a small garrison of colonists stationed there to guard the supplies. Dressed in their red uniforms and armed with long-barreled muskets, they looked fearless to the local community. British soldiers started destroying the warehoused goods. The invaders found dozens of barrels of rum that the soldiers broke open. They quickly became drunk and went wild throughout the city. General Tryon was unable to control the drunk soldiers who vandalized Danbury and set fires throughout the town.

Several colonial riders spread out across the area late that afternoon to alert the local militias that Danbury was under attack. One of those riders went to the Ludington farm that was about 25 miles from Danbury. The rider arrived at the household’s front door after dark to inform Ludington about the attack. The messenger and his horse were exhausted from the hard ride, and they were unable to continue contacting the local residents.

Colonel Ludington needed to get word to the local militia fighters who were scattered among several rural towns. It was his duty to get things organized so his 400 patriots could attack the invading British soldiers. That meant that he must stay at the farm to establish a headquarters for the impending fight. Someone had to ride to the local communities and tell them that Danbury was under siege.

Sybil told her father she would ride to the local towns to spread the word. The colonel knew his daughter would be riding through dangerous territory at night. After only a brief consideration, he agreed to let Sybil make the ride. He convinced his wife that their daughter was the only choice they had to prevent a surprise attack against the local citizens.

Armed with one of her father’s muskets, Sybil mounted Star, her favorite horse, and started her mission. The young girl was an expert rider, and she and Star knew the surrounding area. She left the farm at about 9 p.m. and carried a long stick to use as a knocker to bang on the doors of the residents. That way she could stay on her horse and get the attention of the residents by yelling the news about the impending invasion.

At least one encounter on the trail nearly ended her quest when a would-be thief demanded money from her. Sibyl pointed the musket at him and yelled that she wouldn’t hesitate to shoot. The man ran off. Outlaws were only one possible threat to the young girl. Deserters from both sides and loyalists to the British Crown sought safety and victims in the woods.

Her ride included wooded areas with primitive trails. There was no artificial lighting; so the teenager traveled in darkness all the way with only moonlight to help her see. She could see the orange glow from the fires in Danbury as it burned. How she made the trek without getting lost is astonishing.

Sybil rode all night and arrived back home near dawn. She rode 40 miles to alert residents of the towns of Carmel, Mahopac, Kent Cliffs, Stormville and Peckville. That was twice the distance Paul Revere rode.

Colonel Ludington’s patriots rallied at his farm the morning of April 27, 1777, within hours after Sybil spread the warning. More militia groups joined them, and they drove the British soldiers back towards the coast. They used a hodgepodge of weapons, most of which were antique muskets handed down from father to son. It was considered a military victory for the militia fighters, but they were too late to save Danbury before most of the city burned.

Following her historic ride, Sybil remained at her parents’ farm to help raise her brothers and sisters until she married at 23. Her husband was Edmund Ogden, a Revolutionary War soldier. They worked his family farm and also ran a Catskill, NY, inn. After her husband died, Sybil continued to run the inn for several years. She died at 78 in Unadilla, NY, where she lived with her only child, Henry.

A statue depicting the teenage heroine stands in a park inside her home town of Paterson. Her descendants hold an annual celebration at the statue to honor their brave ancestor and her amazing ride. The statue raised a point of conjecture for several years. Sybil is depicted riding sidesaddle, which was considered the gentile way for women to ride. However, the girl’s hard, 40 mile ride could hardly be accomplished staying on her horse sidesaddle as she held a musket and stick, some historians say. Being accustomed to hard work on her father’s farm, the teenage heroine most likely used one of her work dresses and straddled the horse.

Thanks for reading this blog. Look in this space in a few weeks for another interesting subject. Read my web site at www.joevlatino.com. That’s where you can get information about my book of short stories, “The Device.”

First Teddy Bear was Cuddly, Lovable, Soft and Delicious

Theodore Roosevelt was the country’s 26th president from 1901 to 1909. He was a man of action who had careers as a soldier, big game hunter, politician, conservationist and human rights proponent. His nickname “Teddy” led to an iconic stuffed animal being named after him.

An avid outdoors lover, Teddy Roosevelt was pleased to accept a hunting trip invitation from the governor of Mississippi in November, 1902. The governor promised Roosevelt a chance to bag a black bear, and the president wanted to add one to his trophy collection.  

After three days of hunting, a few bears were shot by members of the party, but Roosevelt didn’t see even one. Desperate to please the president, the governor dispatched several of the guides into the forest the next day and told them to find a bear for Roosevelt.

After a few hours, the president followed the hunting guides into a thick part of the forest and saw a bear tied to a tree. It was an adolescent female bear that looked badly beaten and scared. Hunting dogs found the bear, surrounded it and attacked it. The guides beat the bear into submission and secured it to the tree.

The president, invited by one of the guides to kill the animal, had pity on the bear and refused to shoot it, saying that would be unsportsmanlike.  He ordered that the bear should be “put out of its misery.” The guides quickly gutted the bear and butchered it for the hunters to eat.

Roosevelt, the governor and members of the camp ate the young bear during the next few days of the hunt. They saved the bear’s paws to eat roasted as a delicacy on the last day.

Political cartoonist Clifford Berryman learned about the story. He drew a cartoon for “The Washington Post” that showed Roosevelt refusing to shoot the pathetic-looking animal.

The president was shown in the forefront of the sketch extending his left arm in a gesture of firm resolve to stop anyone from harming the bear. The cartoon ran immediately after the hunting incident on November 16, 1902, with the caption “Drawing the line in Mississippi.”

Roosevelt was still on the hunt when the cartoon hit the newspaper. He likely was picking the bear meat out of his teeth while readers read about his humane gesture to save the bear’s life.

Similar cartoons ran in other newspapers. The bear often was drawn to be a cub that had a frightened look with large, human-like eyes. Sympathy for the bear increased as did Roosevelt’s popularity. The fact that the president ate the bear he spared was not publicized.    

A Brooklyn, NY, candy store owner saw an opportunity in the popularity of the bear story. Morris Michtom and his wife sold stuffed animals as well as candy. Mrs. Michtom made the toys by hand. They put two stuffed bears into the store windows and called them “Teddy’s Bear.”

The two bears were sold immediately and demand for more of them grew so much that Michtom started to mass produce them. He requested permission to use the president’s name on the product. President Roosevelt thought the idea was a joke and willingly gave his approval personally to the toy maker. Michtom’s new toy business eventually became the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.

A German company called Steiff specialized in making stuffed animals for children. The company soon joined the increasing demand for Roosevelt’s bear.  Margaret Steiff made her living by sewing stuffed elephants and later other animals including bears.  Seeing the potential in the American market, the Steiff Company exported their stuffed bears to the United States under the name Teddy Bear. The name stuck, and Steiff became a globally known company among stuffed animal collectors.

President Roosevelt laughed at the idea of the stuffed bear being named after him, but the toy bear’s popularity kept growing. The impact of the Teddy Bear can be seen in the number of the toys sold each year. That estimated number is somewhere in the millions. Some 2,000 specialty stores sell the toy bears in the U.S. alone. European sales probably double the number of bears sold.

“Teddy Bear and Friends” is a national magazine for stuffed bear collectors. One article appearing inside the magazine was about a woman who built a wing on her home to hold her collection of more than 2,000 teddy bears. About 24 percent of the magazine’s 40,000 readers spend at least $1,000.00 on teddy bears every year.

Internet sales of teddy bears for special occasions such as Valentine’s Day keep growing each year. Buyers can find 20,000 teddy bears for auction on eBay every day.

The Teddy Bear became a tribute to one of our most accomplished presidents even though Roosevelt laughed at the idea of the toy using his name. The 26th president had world-wide accomplishments before and after his time in office. Roosevelt was the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize, being recognized in 1906 for his role as negotiator in the Russo-Japanese War.  Theodore Roosevelt also established the National Parks System.

He was the youngest man to become president. Roosevelt, then vice president, was 42-years-old when he assumed the presidency after President McKinley was assassinated. John F. Kennedy was 43-years-old when he was elected president.

After leaving office, Roosevelt went on an African safari for two years and netted many of the specimens that stock the Smithsonian Institute. 

The man whose likeness is a 60 foot bust carved into Mt. Rushmore was accomplished as a combat leader in the Rough Riders before he became president. It’s ironic a man of such diverse talents and some grizzly experiences would be known world-wide as the inspiration for a child’s toy.

Thanks for reading this blog. A new one will be in this space in two weeks. Please read my website www.joevlatino.com. You can get information about my book of short stories “The Device.”