During the Great Depression, Americans needed cheering up. They found Seabiscuit, the little racehorse with the big heart.
Seabiscuit, born in 1933, was the grandson of Man o’ War, one of the greatest racehorses. His original owners expected that he would be a winning Thoroughbred too. But he was small for a racehorse, had a bit of a bad temper, and preferred sleeping to running. He lost his first seventeen races, eventually winning some, but was inconsistent. Then, Charles and Marcela Howardbought him and hired the right trainer, Tom Smith.
Tom Smith
Tom Smith treated him gently. He let him sleep when he wanted to, fed him better quality hay, and talked to him in a quiet voice. Tom even moved, Pumpkin, a yellow horse, Pocatell, a spotted dog, and, Jo Jo, a spider monkey into Seabiscuit’s stall. The animals seemed to calm him. Then Tom found just the right jockey, Red Pollard.
Red Pollard
Seabiscuit liked Red right away. With Red aboard, he won big races. Soon, he was featured in popular magazines and movie newsreels. Americans loved him. He was like them, overcoming obstacles to succeed. When he won a race, Americans felt they were winning too.
Seabiscuit’s greatest challenge came in 1938, when he faced the tall, sleek Thoroughbred racehorse War Admiral. In 1937, War Admiral won horse racing’s highest honor, the Triple Crown. Seabiscuit, a four-year-old that year could not compete against War Admiral in the Triple Crown events, only for three-year-olds. But Americans wanted to see the two horses race.
They met on November 1, 1938. Red Pollard was injured and could not ride that day. He advised, George Woolf, his replacement how best to ride Seabiscuit. His advice worked. After running head to head for a good part of the race, Seabiscuit sped away from War Admiral to win in an exciting finish.
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Watch them in action in this exceptional video from PBS’s American Experience:
I once stayed at The Peabody Hotel in one of my favorite cities, Memphis, Tennessee. The highlight of course, was watching the famous Peabody Ducks in action.
The five Mallards, one drake and four hens, swam in the elaborate fountain. They later marched down the red carpet for a ride up the elevator to their penthouse apartment.
Under the direction of the Duckmaster, dressed in a bright red jacket, they waddled to the sounds of a marching band and the cheers and applause of visitors. An honorary Duckmaster who was a member of the military assisted that day.
Although the hotel was built in 1925, the first ducks arrived in 1933. As a practical joke, the hotel manager and a friend added them to the hotel’s fountain. The three English call ducks generated lots of attention. The hotel decided to keep them, but soon replaced them with five North American Mallard ducks.
The first Duckmaster, Edward Pembroke, was a bellman and a former circus animal trainer. He led the ducks to the fountain from their rooftop penthouse every morning at 11 a.m. The ducks returned at 5 p.m. Mr. Pembroke performed his role as Duckmaster from 1940 until 1991. He started the now famous Peabody Duck March.
The Peabody Ducks in Their Penthouse Pool
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Author/Illustrator Patricia Polacco’s beautifully illustrated picture book, John Philip Duck was inspired by Edward Pembroke’s story.
Archie Roosevelt, the nine-year-old son of President Teddy Roosevelt was recovering from the measles. He missed his pony, Algonquin, and wasn’t allowed outside to ride him.
His five-year-old brother, Quentin, had an idea. He enlisted the help of a footman who pushed the pony into the White House elevator while Quentin pulled. Algonquin resisted at first but when he saw his face in the mirror, he calmed down. The three rode up to the second floor and Quentin surprised Archie who was overjoyed to see his pony.
The New York Times reported on April 27, 1903, that “this is the first time that a horse has ridden in a White House elevator.
A Fine Little Bad Boy: Quentin Roosevelt in the White House
By Barbara Lowell, Illustrated by Antonio Marinoni
Coming: August 13, 2024
Quentin may be the “littlest Roosevelt,” but he soon rivals his father, the famous Teddy, as the biggest personality in the White House of the early 1900’s. From roller skating in the halls to shooting spitballs at Andrew Jackson’s portrait. From swimming in the fountains to taking a pony for an elevator ride. This “fine little bad boy” takes full advantage of his father’s long tenure as president, believing the good times will never end. 4-8 years
Archie and Algonquin his Icelandic Shetland Pony
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President Franklin Roosevelt’s Scottish terrier, Fala, appeared in newspaper photos around the world. He was so well-known that the Secret Service gave him the code name “The Informer.” When people spotted him,they knew the president was close by. Fala traveled everywhere with the president by ship, train, and car.
Posing for photographers
Fala was born on April 7, 1940. A gift to President Roosevelt, he moved into the White House in November that year. The president named him Murray the Outlaw of Falahill after a Scottish ancestor. But the puppy was too small for such a big name. The president immediately shortened it.
An exceptionally friendly dog, Fala received lots of attention. He liked to show off his tricks to White House visitors: rolling over, jumping up, speaking, lying down, and his favorite, begging. But he never let the attention go to his head. He was a down-to-earth dog.
Fala liked to dig holes in the White House lawn, burying and digging up his bones. And he was always ready to chase the White House squirrels. At night, he slept beside the president’s bed. In the morning he enjoyed a dog biscuit when the president ate his breakfast.
He received lots of fan mail, especially from children. He starred in two short films produced by MGM. His biography, The True Story of Fala was published when he was only two years old. He was also named an honorary army private. And he was given the title President of Barkers for Britain. He had campaigned to have American dog owners donate money to help the British people in World War II.
At Hyde Park with the president and a caretaker’s daughter
Fala died on April 5, 1952. He is buried in the rose garden at Hyde Park. In 1997, a memorial to President Roosevelt was dedicated near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. A statue of Fala is forever at President Roosevelt’s side.
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C.
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