Key Dates

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampic, Illinois on February 6, 1911.

When he was young he worked as a life guard for seven summers. In that time he made 77 rescues.

Ronald Reagan announced Chicago Cubs games for WHO radio in Des Moines. Later he became a famous movie and television actor.

In 1954, his acting career was doing badly so he took a job in Las Vegas as a comic for a few weeks.

Reagan was in the military during WWII.

He married Nancy Davis on March 4, 1952. William Holden was the best man at their wedding. Nancy was his second wife. Ronald Reagan was the only divoreced man to become president.

At 73, he was the oldest person ever elected president. (This was his election to his second term.) He was 69 when elected the first time.

Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans. He was sometimes referred to as the "Jelly Bean Man." Some say that the sale of jelly beans increased while he was president. For his presidential inauguration in 1981, he made sure his favorite sugary sweets made an appearance. Three and a half tons of Jelly Belly beans were shipped to the White House for the event.

Reagan's Vice President was George Bush (1981-1989).

President Reagan was the oldest president in history; he was just shy of his 78th birthday on leaving office.

Reagan was the only professional actor to be elected President.

Reagan's would-be assassin, John Hinkley wanted to assassinate the President to impress actress Jodie Foster. After the assassination attempt he was put in a mental institution. (For more information see the page on the attemted assassination of President Reagan.)

After John Hinckley tried to kill him, former sportscaster Dutch Reagan, said to his wife: "Honey, I forgot to duck."

A young boy gave Reagan a goldfish which Reagan kept in a fish tank which had the presidential seal on it.

Ronald Reagan was President during the Grenada Invasion, 1983

President Reagan was the first President to appoint a female Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor.

Ronald Reagan was the only President to have been divorced. He was also one of three Presidents who had adopted children.

In 1986, he signed the legislation making Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday.

One of his most famous speeches was at the Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987. He demanded "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

President Ronald Regain at a political rally, By Michael Evens, February 8, 1982.
Ronald Regain Presidential Library.
(Click for larger image.)

President Reagan also referred to the Soviet Union as "an evil empire."

He was the first president to submit a trillion dollar budget to congress.

He became the first U.S. president to address Japan's legislature.

President Ronald Reagan was twice named "Man of the Year" by Time Magazine.

Ronald loved to ride horses and tend his ranch. He had a King Charles Spaniel named Rex.

In his retirement years he was diagnosed as having Alzheimer's Disease.

President Ronald Reagan died on June 6, 2004. He was 93 at the time of his death.