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Theodore Roosevelt, shot in Milwaukee, is saved by his own speech -- and his glasses.

The man shown here is Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. He had a long career in public life, and is well known for many things. For example, he was a hero of the Spanish-American War, he was a believer in conservation and set aside land for national parks, his name is the inspiration for the "teddy" bear, and so on. What else do you know about Roosevelt's life?

Theodore Roosevelt became president because he was the vice president when President William McKinley was shot and killed. He served for seven and a half years, but he did not run for a third term in 1908, because of the custom that no president should ever serve more than two terms in the office. But Roosevelt was not happy with the direction of the country, so he entered the election of 1912.

It became clear that the Republican party would not nominate him for this election. So Roosevelt and some other ex-Republicans formed a new group called the Progressive Party. This party was also known as the "Bull Moose" Party. This party got its name when a reporter asked Roosevelt about his health, and he responded, "I'm as fit as a bull moose."

On October 14, 1912, Roosevelt brought his "Bull Moose" party to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A large crowd had gathered to see him. Unfortunately, one of the people in the crowd was a New York saloonkeeper named John Schrank. Schrank was a mentally deranged person, and he was very upset about the idea of Roosevelt running for a third term as president. He traveled to Milwaukee to see Roosevelt. In his pocket was a .38 caliber pistol.

As Roosevelt stepped out of Milwaukee's Hotel Gilpatrick, Schrank took out his gun and aimed at Roosevelt's head. Luckily, a bystander in the crowd named Adam Bittner saw Schrank and tried to grab his arm. This meant that the bullet hit Roosevelt in the chest. Fortunately for Roosevelt, the two things shown at right were in his coat pocket - his speech, and the case for his eyeglasses. These items slowed down the bullet, but it still lodged in Roosevelt's chest. Nevertheless, he was still able to tell the crowd not to kill Schrank. Then he went on to deliver a 90-minute speech at the Milwaukee Auditorium. Would you have given this speech?

John Schrank was found to be mentally ill, and spent the next 30 years in mental institutions. But his assassination attempt succeeded in a way. Because of the shooting, Roosevelt was forced to stay in the hospital for the next few weeks. This limited his campaign schedule, and he ended up losing the election and not being able to serve a third term. Now, the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids anyone from serving more than two terms as president. The only president to serve longer than that was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore's fifth cousin, who served more than 12 years. Are you in favor of term limits for presidents? Why or why not?

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