Ruth Harkness and Su Lin

After the death of her husband in 1936, Ruth Harkness set out on a mission to fulfill his wish of bringing back the first live giant panda to the United States. More of a socialite than an explorer, Harkness she was willing to give up her comfortable New York lifestyle for months to fulfill her husband's dream. She found a guide in a Chinese-American, Quentin Young, who was willing to take her through the bandit-filled territories in through the central Chinese mountains. His brother had helped Theodore Roosevelt's sons hunt and kill the first giant panda brought back to the United States.

They began their journey in Shanghai on September 26, 1936, aboard a steamboat on its way to the southern city of Chengdu. While in Chengdu, they hired a team of helpers to aid them in their journey. In letters that she wrote to her friend she said, "I don't know whether it will be humanly possible to get a panda or not, but I feel that if it is, I will."

She brought along with her bottles, rubber nipples, and powder milk having no idea the supplies that she would be needing. She brought her typewriter throughout the trip to write letters back home and document their adventure. After months, in early November they reached the bamboo forests. Within three days they found a baby panda cub that had been abandoned in the hollow of a tree. They named her Su Lin, meaning "a little bit of something precious". Following only her instinct Harkness was able to keep the baby alive on their long journey back to Shanghai.

Once in Shanghai, they faced a new challenge, getting Su Lin out of China. Once at the docks, the customs officers confiscated Su Lin. Harkness stayed, missing her boat, but the next day he was released back to her. She was able to get her out the country listed as a dog.

American newspapers reported every movement that was made on their way back to the United States. Once back  in America, Su Lin lived with Harkness in her New York apartment. In 1937, Harkness sold Su Lin to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. This sparked "panda fever" across the country as huge crowds flocked to get a glimpse at the creature. By the end of the decade, six more pandas would be imported to the United States in order to appease the people's new obsession with the animal. Harkness would bring one more of her own, Mei-Mei, to the Brookfield zoo a year after the arrival of Su Lin.

Sources:
1. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25136118
2. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-america-fell-love-giant-panda-180956692/