The crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City gasped and screamed.
A wild steer had broken free from the rodeo arena and was climbing into the stands where people were sitting.
Everyone was running and shouting, scared of the dangerous animal.
But suddenly a cowboy from Oklahoma jumped into action.
He swung his lasso through the air and caught the steer perfectly, stopping it from hurting anyone.
The crowd cheered and clapped.
That brave cowboy was Will Rogers, and this exciting moment in 1905 would help make him one of America's most beloved entertainers.
Will Rogers was born on November 4, 1879, in what later became Oklahoma.
His full name was William Penn Adair Rogers, and he was part Cherokee.
Will grew up on a big ranch where his family raised cattle and horses.
As a little boy he loved being around animals and learning cowboy skills.
Will's childhood was touched by sadness when his mother died, which left him feeling lost and searching for his purpose in life.
But even during hard times, Will found joy in practicing with his rope.
He spent hours every day learning to do amazing tricks with his lasso.
He could rope running horses, spinning wheels, and even multiple objects at once.
His rope seemed to dance through the air like magic.
Will wasn't very interested in school.
He was much more interested in cowboys and horses, and learned to rope and use a lariat.
When other kids his age were studying books, Will was outside practicing his rope tricks and riding horses.
His family knew he was special with a lasso, but nobody imagined he would become famous for it.
In 1899, Rogers appeared in the St.
Louis Fair as part of the Mull Hall Rodeo.
This was his first taste of performing for big crowds.
People loved watching him do his rope tricks.
He was so good that audiences would gasp and cheer every time he twirled his lasso.
When Will was 22 years old, he decided to go on a big adventure.
He and a friend, Dick Paris, left home hoping to work as gauchos in Argentina.
They arrived in Argentina in May 1902 and spent five months trying to make it as ranch owners in the Pampas.
But things didn't go as planned.
Rogers and his partner lost all their money and he later said, I was ashamed to send home for more.
Will was too proud to ask his family for help, so he kept trying to make it on his own.
Rogers quit the circus and went to Australia.
There he performed with another circus, doing his rope tricks and working with horses.
He returned to the United States in 1904, appeared at the St.
Louis World's Fair, and began to try his roping skills on the vaudeville circuits.
Vaudeville was like a variety show with singing, dancing, comedy, and special acts.
That's when the famous steer incident happened at Madison Square Garden.
On a trip to New York City.
Rogers was at Madison Square Garden on April 27 1905 when a wild steer broke out of the arena and began to climb into the viewing stands.
Rogers roped the steer and saved the day.
The newspapers wrote about his brave act and suddenly everyone in New York wanted to see the amazing cowboy with the magic rope.
Will Rogers used his skills as a cowboy to perform in Wild West shows, where he was known as the Cherokee Kid.
But Wild West shows were becoming less popular, so Will moved into vaudeville.
At first, it was a silent act with rope tricks.
When he missed a trick.
Will's occasional comments would cause audiences to laugh and he was encouraged to begin speaking during his act.
This was the beginning of Will becoming not just a rope artist, but also a comedian.
By 1907 Rogers began performing regularly for the Ziegfeld Follies, a popular vaudeville act in New York City.
The Ziegfeld Follies was one of the most famous shows in America.
With a steady job, in 1908, Rogers married Betty Blake, his sweetheart from back home in Oklahoma.
They had a happy marriage and four children together.
Will's act was different from other performers.
He would do his rope tricks while telling funny stories and making jokes about what was happening in the news.
His earthy anecdotes and folksy style allowed him to poke fun at gangsters, prohibition politicians, government programs and a host of other controversial topics in a way that found general acclaim from a national audience with no one offended.
People loved how he could talk about serious things in a way that made them laugh instead of getting angry.
His clever and funny quotes were quoted in newspapers all across America.
One of Roger's most famous sayings was I never met a man I didn't like, which showed how kind and friendly he was to everyone.
Also, don't let yesterday use up too much of today.
Or even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
Will became so popular that he started making movies and radio shows.
People everywhere knew his voice and his jokes.
He wrote newspaper columns that were published in hundreds of papers across the country.
His comments on daily news were published in 350 newspapers, and in 1926 he served as President Calvin Coolidge's Ambassador of Goodwill.
Oklahoma's favorite son used to say My ancestors didn't come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat.
This was Will's funny way of talking about his Cherokee heritage and how Native Americans were already in America when the first European settlers arrived.
Will Rogers was probably the greatest political sage this country has ever known.
He had a special gift for helping people see the funny side of life, even during difficult times.
He proved that you could talk about serious problems while still making people smile.
Well, Rogers shows us that being different can be your greatest strength.
He never forgot his Oklahoma roots or his Cherokee heritage.
He took his cowboy skills and his down-to-earth personality and became one of America's biggest stars.
Will's story teaches us that if you work hard at what you love and stay true to yourself, you can achieve amazing things.
Just like Will Rogers, you can use your special talents to make the world a little bit brighter and bring joy to others, no matter where you come from or what challenges you face.
