Theodore Roosevelt and the Piranhas of Doubt episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 9, 2025 · 54 MIN

Theodore Roosevelt and the Piranhas of Doubt

from Plodding Through The Presidents · host Howard & Jessica Dorre

We dive into the real story of Theodore Roosevelt’s encounters with piranhas in the Amazon, his impact on the ferocious reputation of the fish, and how one fishmonger titan—Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod—turned a fish story into a whopper about a cow. Stick around for a piranha survival quiz that just might save your skin.  Sources include Candice Millard’s excellent book The River of Doubt, Roosevelt’s Through The Brazilian Wilderness, and The Star-Ledger’s impressive investigative work on Axelrod. Find out more at plodpod.com Join our Patreon community for ad-free episodes and bonus content at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Check out our merch at https://plodding-through-the-presidents.dashery.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 9, 2025

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Theodore Roosevelt and the Piranhas of Doubt

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