Transcript
Speaker: Today on the History We Made Up Franklin Delano Roosevelt What motivated a man with such poor health to do so much for his country?
Speaker: Many people know Franklin Delano Roosevelt, FDR, as America's 32nd President. He played an important role in leading America out of the Great Depression by implementing the New Deal.
Speaker: He was also America's commander-in-chief during World War II, leading the Allies against the Axis powers. One thing people don't know about FDR is he was an early fan of the pogo stick.
Speaker: The pogo stick was patented in 1919 by American inventor George B. Hansberg. However, the jumping device had been circulating among enthusiasts as early as 1909.
Speaker: Historians believe the Germans actually invented the first spring-loaded stick for the purpose of breaking the ribs of prisoners of war by jumping on top of them. FDR didn't use the pogo stick to break people's bones.
Speaker: He just loved to hop around. While working at the prestigious law firm Carter, Ledyard and Milburn, FDR was voted Most Annoying Colleague from 1909 1911.
Speaker: John G. Milburn is quoted in the New York Tribune as saying, Franklin used to jump around the office on that stick, and we all hated it and him. After securing the position of Assistant Secretary to the Navy in 1913, Roosevelt helped popularize the pogo stick among shipmen.
Speaker: In 1917, pogoing became an approved recreational activity for men at sea. At the height of the pogo stick craze in 1921, Roosevelt's health deteriorated.
Speaker: There are conflicting medical opinions of what caused his leg paralysis. Many believe it was polio or Guillain-Barré syndrome, but the truth is it was excessive pogoing that caused Roosevelt to lose full function of his legs, but he would never let any anyone believe that.
Speaker: In fact, he was so desperate to exonerate pogoing as a potential cause of his paralysis that he willed himself to walk again and get back into politics. ah FDR's entire presidency was motivated by a desire to protect the reputation of the pogo stick.
Speaker: A letter to Eleanor before his death is rumoured to say, My dearest Eleanor, I beg of you to never tell anyone that pogoing caused my paralysis.
Speaker: For had I not found pogoing and paralysed myself, then I would not have become President, and the American people would not have FDIC protection and Social Security checks.
Speaker: This has been an episode of The History We Made Up. The truth is somewhere, but not just anywhere. It's where you find it.
Speaker: you
