Think “Valentine’s Day” and images of chocolates, flowers and, perhaps, a cute little teddy bear come to mind.
It turns out, though, that the impetus for the first teddy bear was more gruesome than cuddly.
Baker Institute Fellow in History Doug Brinkley explores the story behind the teddy bear in his recent book, “The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America.”
In an interview with CultureMap Houston, Brinkley talks about how President Roosevelt had an epiphany on a bear hunting trip that created a cottage industry that is still going strong today – more than 100 years later.
Read CultureMap Houston’s “Teddy Roosevelt & the bear: Worst. Valentine’s Day. Ever.”