He had been shot in the chest.
The bullet was still lodged inside him, but Theodore Roosevelt had a speech to deliver, and he wasn’t about to let an assassination attempt stop him.
On October 14, 1912, the former American president was campaigning in Milwaukee when a gunman fired at him at close range.
What happened next became one of the most extraordinary moments in American political history.
Roosevelt was preparing to address a crowd when John Schrank shot him outside a Milwaukee hotel.
The bullet passed through a steel spectacles case and a thick, folded copy of his speech tucked inside his coat, slowing its progress before lodging in his chest. Rather than head straight to hospital, Roosevelt insisted on continuing to the Milwaukee Auditorium.
“I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot,” he told the astonished audience.
He showed them the bullet-damaged manuscript and proceeded to speak for approximately 80 minutes.
Only afterwards did he seek medical attention and doctors decided it was safer to leave the bullet where it was, and Roosevelt carried it for the rest of his life.
He survived the shooting but lost the presidential election the following month to Woodrow Wilson.
On October 14, 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, defeated the English army led by King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings.
Harold was killed in the fighting, clearing the way for William to become King of England.
The Norman conquest transformed England’s monarchy, government and language, leaving an influence that can still be felt nearly a thousand years later.
On October 14, 1947, American test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first person officially recorded breaking the sound barrier in level flight.
Flying the experimental Bell X-1 over California, Yeager reached approximately Mach 1.06.
The achievement helped usher in the age of supersonic aviation, changing what was thought possible in the skies.
British singer Cliff Richard turns 86 today.
Born on October 14, 1940, Richard became one of Britain’s most successful entertainers, with hits including Living Doll, Summer Holiday and Congratulations.
American fashion designer Ralph Lauren turns 87, while singer Usher celebrates his 48th birthday.
Do you remember?
Do you remember Cliff Richard’s early hits or watching Summer Holiday at the cinema? Which of his songs takes you straight back to your younger days?
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