Teddy Roosevelt was a human dynamo, a self-made man. By 1898, he had been a writer, a rancher, a deputy sheriff, a New York State assemblyman, a member of the U.S. Civil Service, president of the Board of New York City Police Commissioners, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

Teddy resigned from the government and began forming a regiment of volunteer cavalry, commonly known as the “Rough Riders.” Under his leadership, the regiment executed a daredevil charge up Kettle Hill. Teddy's wartime reputation propelled him to the office of Governor of New York.

At the 1900 Republican Convention, Roosevelt was nominated for the one position he didn't want: Vice President under incumbent William McKinley. Roosevelt reluctantly agreed to accept the nomination. Only six months after McKinley's inauguration, the President was assassinated and Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th President.

In 1902, Congress gave Roosevelt permission to accept the French offer to purchase the rights to a canal through Panama. In the next year Panama declared it's independence and the Canal was eventually built.

In 1905 friction between Russia and Japan erupted into all-out war. The Japanese and Russian delegates separately visited Roosevelt in the summer of 1905 to discuss their differences. In 1906, for his actions in the treaty, Teddy became the first American president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

On January 16, 2001 Teddy's Medal of Honor was presented to his great-grandson.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org