The internet introduced us all to historic photographs that we wouldn't have seen otherwise, like this image of Theodore Roosevelt riding a moose in the water. We all know he was an avid outdoorsman, but when you see this, you automatically think "Photoshop!" Still, it's just appropriate enough to be intriguing. After all, we've seen some really wild photos of President Roosevelt in his younger days. The truth is, this wasn't Photoshopped. And it is historic. But it's not real. It was manipulated in the old fashioned way, with scissors and tape.
The picture first appeared in the New York Tribune in September of 1912. It wasn't meant to fool anyone; it was an illustration of the top three presidential candidates all riding the animal mascot of their parties: William Howard Taft on an elephant, Woodrow Wilson on a donkey, and Teddy Roosevelt on a bull moose, which was the nickname for his new Progressive Party. Yes, all three men held the office at one time or another.
This story is just one of six presidential myths debunked at Mental Floss, to get you ready for small talk on Presidents Day on February 21st.
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I was just about to say, Moose are super dangerous so if that were real, sheesh
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