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Ronald Reagan was born on Feb. 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, to Nelle Wilson Reagan and John Edward Reagan.
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Reagan attended Eureka College in Illinois from 1928-1932. During his time at college, Reagan was student body president and also became interested in drama during his sophomore year.
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All in the same year, Reagan enlists in the Army Reserve as a private but is soon promoted to 2nd lieutenant and an agent for Warner Brothers offers him a seven-year contract.
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Reagan marries actress Jane Wyman, whom he met while making the movie Brother Rat.
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Reagan and Jane Wynman divorced in 1949, soon after Reagan and movie actress Nancy Davis wed.
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Reagan gave a televised address supporting Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. The speech was called "A Time for Choosing". The speech launched Reagans political career.
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Reagan finally announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president.
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Reagan lost the nomination for presidency but wasn't willing to give up. Reagan announces his candidacy for president. After finally winning the party's nomination, he chooses George Bush as his running mate.
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Reagan is elected president in a landslide victory over Jimmy Carter.
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Reagan is sworn in as the 40th president of the United States. On the same day, Iran releases the 52 remaining hostages who had been held at the U.S. embassy in Tehran for 444 days.
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Reagan is shot in the chest upon leaving a Washington hotel but makes a full recovery after surgery. Three other people, including Reagan press secretary James Brady, are wounded in the assassination attempt. John Hinckley Jr. is charged but found not guilty by reason of insanity.
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Reagan discloses in a letter that he has Alzheimer's disease. "I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life," he writes. "I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead."
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Ronald Reagan dies in California at the age of 93. His legacy lives on.
