The President Who Loved Speed

Did You Know? – The President Who Loved Speed
Welcome to Did You Know? — the podcast that digs up the hidden, quirky, and often surprising backstories that change the way we see the people and events we thought we knew. 
Today, we take a wild ride — quite literally — with a man you probably remember from your history books. He wasn’t just a war hero or a world leader. He was also... a speed demon. Buckle up, because this is the story of Theodore Roosevelt — the president who loved speed.
When we think of American presidents, we often imagine solemn men behind desks, signing bills or delivering stirring speeches. But Theodore Roosevelt? He broke the mold. Born in 1858 into a wealthy New York family, he was a sickly child with asthma. But instead of letting illness define him, he made a vow to live a life of action. He boxed, he hiked, he hunted. And he never stopped moving. Literally.
Roosevelt’s love for movement translated into a deep obsession with speed. As an adult, he embraced modern transportation with gusto. Whether it was riding horses through rough terrain, speeding in early automobiles, or chasing down criminals on horseback when he was New York City’s police commissioner — Roosevelt wanted to go fast. And when he became President of the United States in 1901, after the assassination of William McKinley, he didn’t slow down.
In fact, Roosevelt was the first U.S. president to ride in an automobile while in office. This wasn’t just a novelty for him — it was a thrill. He loved driving at high speeds on rough roads, often to the horror of his Secret Service detail. There are stories of Roosevelt taking the wheel himself — flying through the countryside without regard for the early rules of the road. To Roosevelt, life was too short to take the scenic route.
And cars weren’t enough. Roosevelt was also the first president to fly — not while he was in office, but shortly afterward. In 1910, he took a ride in a Wright Brothers biplane at the age of 51. Think about that. Just seven years after the Wrights first got off the ground, Roosevelt climbed into an open-cockpit airplane and soared above Missouri. No helmet. No parachute. Just guts and goggles.
But Roosevelt’s obsession with speed wasn’t just about technology. It was a reflection of his entire philosophy on life. His famous motto — “Speak softly and carry a big stick” — wasn’t just about foreign policy. It was about living boldly, decisively, and with force. He believed that progress required energy, motion, and a willingness to take risks.
And he lived that philosophy right up to the edge. During a 1912 campaign speech — after his presidency — Roosevelt was shot in the chest by an assassin. And what did he do? He coughed into his hand, saw no blood, and decided the bullet hadn’t hit a lung. Then he gave a 90-minute speech... with a bullet still lodged in his ribs. That’s not just speed — that’s steel.
Even his approach to conservation — something he’s widely celebrated for — was tied to this need for movement. He created national parks and forests not just to preserve beauty, but because he believed Americans needed space to roam, ride, hike, and explore. He once said, "A man who has never been in the wilderness cannot know the world.” To Roosevelt, the natural world was a racetrack for the soul.
He was, in every way, a man in motion. Whether charging up San Juan Hill with the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War, or charging ahead with political reforms, Roosevelt never idled. He governed the way he lived — boldly, rapidly, and without brakes.
So next time you think of presidents as cautious or calculated, remember Theodore Roosevelt — the man who raced through history at full throttle. He didn’t just lead a nation; he chased destiny with his foot on the gas.
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