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Fifty-two American hostages held in Iran released.
On January 19, 1981, the hostages were released on January 20, 1981, minutes after President Reagan completed his 20‑minute inaugural address after being sworn in, and the 52 American hostages were released to U.S. personnel. -
Reagan inaugurated
The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1981, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. -
Reagan shot
Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C. as he was returning to his limousine after a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton. -
Soviet grain embargo lifted
Reagan has consistently opposed the embargo on the grounds that it is unfair to farmers, demanding that they shoulder a burden he says should be borne more generally. In addition, a decision on whether to sell grain to the Soviet Union has to be made before Sept. 30, when a five-year agreement under which the United States agreed to sell at least 6 million metric tons of grain annually to the Soviets expires. -
Reagan and air-traffic controllers strike
On August 5, following the PATCO workers' refusal to return to work, the Reagan administration fired the 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order and banned them from federal service for life. -
Sandra Day O’Connor nominated to Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Connor was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Reagan on August 19, 1981, thus fulfilling his 1980 campaign promise to appoint the first woman to the highest court in the United States. -
Military buildup (B-1 Bomber and MX missiles)
President Reagan announced that he will seek Congress' approval to build 100 MX land-based missiles and 100 B1 bombers under a $180.3 billion program to upgrade the nation's nuclear forces. -
Sanctions on Poland
two years before the collapse of communist regimes across Eastern Europe, President Ronald Reagan lifted all U.S. sanctions against Poland. -
Reagan delivers his first State of the Union
President Ronald Reagan delivered his first State of the Union address in a televised prime-time speech on January 26, 1982. -
Reagan addresses Parliament in England
Ronald Reagan addressed members of the British Parliament in London. His speech at Westminster Hall harkened back to Winston Churchill’s 1946 “Sinews of Peace” address in Fulton, Missouri. Churchill’s speech provided many of the key concepts of an emerging Cold War with the Soviet Union; thirty-four years later Reagan presented his vision for how it might end. -
Tax Equity & Fiscal Responsibility Act
TEFRA was created in order to reduce the budget gap by generating revenue through the closure of tax loopholes and introduction of tougher enforcement of tax rules, as opposed to changing marginal income tax rates -
Spending speech
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Strategic Defense Initiative
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Social Security reform becomes law
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Suicide bombers attack U.S. Marines in Lebanon (1983)
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Invasion of Grenada
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Democrats gain seats (Nov 1986)
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Farm credit crises (Feb 1985)
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Embargo on Nicaragua
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U.S. illegally sells arms to Iran (Iran-Contra Affair)
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Reagan, Gorbachev hold summit in Switzerland
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Space Shuttle Challenger explosion (Reagan Speech)
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South African sanctions
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Reagan and Gorbachev meet in Iceland
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Water Quality Control Act
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Tower Commission concludes report (1987)
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Berlin Wall Speech in West Berlin (1987)
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Gorbachev, Reagan sign treaty (1987)
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Reagan prohibits abortion assistance (1988)
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Reagan visits Soviet Union (1988)
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Reagan says farewell