# Surprising info you found out about an historical figure? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 19, 2019, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-info-you-found-out-about-an-historical-figure/838861 "2019-08-19T02:39:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-info-you-found-out-about-an-historical-figure/838861/141 "2019-08-28T20:52:12Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Theodore was an uncle to Franklin too. Franklin and Eleanor were kissin’ cousins. Actually, Theodore was a fifth cousin of Franklin’s (Teddy’s dad was a cousin of Franklin’s dad). But, yes, Eleanor (first name Anna) was the daughter of Teddy’s brother, Elliot, who died at age 34 (when Eleanor was 10) from alcohol related problems. Teddy walked her down the aisle at her wedding, which was held on St. Patrick’s Day to accommodate the fact that Teddy would be in NY for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. ETA: I believe they call that ninja’d! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-info-you-found-out-about-an-historical-figure/838861/142 "2019-08-28T21:16:36Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Actually, Theodore was a fifth cousin of Franklin’s (Teddy’s dad was a cousin of Franklin’s dad). But, yes, Eleanor (first name Anna) was the daughter of Teddy’s brother, Elliot, who died at age 34 (when Eleanor was 10) from alcohol related problems. Teddy walked her down the aisle at her wedding, which was held on St. Patrick’s Day to accommodate the fact that Teddy would be in NY for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. > > ETA: I believe they call that ninja’d! Fair enough, but I seem to recall that Franklin would address Theodore as “Uncle Ted.” Perhaps my memory is faulty. When I was teaching English as a Foreign Language, I would ask my students to name the youngest American president. They invariably answered “Kennedy.” JFK was the youngest president ever to be _elected_, at the age of 43. But TR was the youngest to _serve_, since he was 42 when McKinley was assassinated. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-info-you-found-out-about-an-historical-figure/838861/143 "2019-08-28T21:22:35Z")
Many members of Theodore Roosevelt’s family resented Franklin Roosevelt. They felt he was riding on Theodore’s popularity (which was true to a large extent early in Franklin’s career). They felt that Theodore’s political successor should have been his oldest son, Theodore. (He was known as Theodore Roosevelt Jr even though he was actually Theodore Roosevelt III.) But Theodore Junior never had the success in politics of his father or his cousin. Theodore Junior served in World War I and returned to active duty in 1940. He reached the rank of Brigadier General. He was the only General to land with the troops on the first day of the D-Day invasion and, at 56, he was the oldest man in the landing force. The strain was apparently too much for him; he had a heart attack and died a month later. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-info-you-found-out-about-an-historical-figure/838861/144 "2019-08-28T21:47:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > > [@zimaane](#): > > > > Roosevelt’s running in 1912 relegated poor President Taft to a third place finish in the election, the only president to suffer such an ignominy. > > Taft was delighted when he was appointed Chief Justice of the United States, and later said he couldn’t even remember when he was President. He was the only man ever to have held both offices. He was also the first US President to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. > > Taft was such a stickler for protocol that when someone suggested he issue a statement offering his condolences upon the sinking of the _Titanic_, he replied “Is there a precedent for it?” Taft was a professor at Yale after his presidency and there was a special double-wide seat at Yale Field (where baseball is played at the school) for him, along with another extra-wide seat at Woolsey Hall. [Cite](https://yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/3632-big-man-on-campus) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-info-you-found-out-about-an-historical-figure/838861/145 "2019-08-29T00:25:30Z")
In between being vice president and president, Richard Nixon was a corporate lawyer for Pepsi Cola. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-info-you-found-out-about-an-historical-figure/838861/146 "2019-08-29T01:08:24Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > In between being vice president and president, Richard Nixon was a corporate lawyer for Pepsi Cola. As such, he used his influence with Leonid Brezhnev to get Pepsi-Cola introduced in the Soviet Union in the early '70s. Back then, you had to know which places carried it and ask for it by name, since it wasn’t on public display. By the late '80s, PepsiCo products (and then other soft drinks as well) were being sold everywhere as part of Mikhail Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-info-you-found-out-about-an-historical-figure/838861/147 "2019-08-29T18:08:24Z")
Winston Churchill accepted a knighthood, but turned down a peerage. Twice. When he left office after the war ended, he was offered a peerage. “Duke of London” was one possible title that was discussed. However, he predicted (correctly, as it turned out) that the Labour government would be short-lived, and he wanted to be eligible for another shot at Prime Minister. After his second government ended, he was again offered a peerage. However, his son Randolph had political ambitions, and inheriting a peerage would have screwed his chances at becoming Prime Minister. So Winston again declined. As it turned out, without Winston’s coattails, Randolph could not get elected dog-catcher, and would have been better off with an inherited title. But by this time, Winston was dead, and they don’t give posthumous peerages. Winston’s widow was made a baroness, but it was only a life peerage, so Randolph was still out of luck. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-info-you-found-out-about-an-historical-figure/838861.md?page=7)