From the Jan. 23, 2011, Chicago Tribune by Mark Jacob and Stephan Benzkofer.
Again, great research on some mighty interesting stuff guys. I look forward to these history tidbits. This foray came about because President Obama's speech about the Arizona shootings earlier in the month.
1. SOMETIMES A LONG SPEECH CAN BE A GOOD THING-- In 1912, presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt was about to talk in Milwaukee when he was shot. The bullet went through his coat, eyeglass case and fifty pages of speech on heavy-duty paper.
This slowed down the bullet which cracked one of his ribs and wounded him only slightly. Making sure the audience saw the blood on his shirt, the bully Rough Rider gave the entire speech. Sounds like something TR would do.
2. BUGHOUSE SQUARE on Chicago's Near North Side was a place anyone could give an oration. Studs Terkel remembers one speaker called One-Arm Cholly Wendorf raising the stub of his right arm and declaring, "You know where the rest of this is? Somewhere in France. Somewhere in a trench. ...Cholly Wendorf's arm is enrichin' the soil that grows the grapes that bring you the best Cognac money can buy." Wonder if anyone gave him dough for his "gift?"
3. President Kennedy's chief speech-writer, TED SORENSON, knew his boss' speaking style so well that he sometimes impersonated the president on phone calls.
Give Me a Word. --Cooter
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