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52-American Hostages in Iran released
Minutes after Reagan finished his Inauguration speech and was sworn into office, the 52 American hostages that had been held for 444 days were released to US personnel. -
Reagan inaugurated
Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States. The ceremony was held at the west front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the first ceremony held on the building's west side. -
Spending speech (increase defense, decrease taxes)
Reagan outlined his plan for U.S. economic recovery. In his 4,445-word speech, Reagan called for large cuts to taxes and federal spending. -
Reagan shot
Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. as he was returning to his car in Washinton D.C. The bullet punctured his lung and broke a rib. -
Soviet grain embargo lifted
The Grain Embargo was enacted by Jimmy Carter in 1979 and was then removed by Reagan when he took office in 1981. -
Reagan and air-traffic controllers strike
When the PATCO workers refused to go back to work upon order, the Reagan administration fired the 11,345 air traffic workers who were striking and banned them from federal service for life. -
Sandra Day O’Connor nominated to Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Connor was the first appointed to the highest court in the United States, nominated by President Reagan. -
Sanctions on Poland
Reagan ordered a list of economical appraisals against the polish government after the Coal Mine Incident. -
Tax Equity & Fiscal Responsibility Act
Also known as TEFRA, the United States Federal Law that rescinded some of the effects of the Kemp-Roth Act passed the year prior -
Reagan delivers his first State of the Union
Reagan gave his first State of the Union speech televised on January 26th, 1982 where he addressed congress giving a brief on how the country was doing. -
Reagan addresses Parliament in England
Reagan was the first president to speak to both British and American houses about a future he hoped would "leave Marxism- Leninism on the ash heap of history. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative was a proposed U.S. defensive system against potential nuclear attacks. -
Suicide bombers attack U.S. Marines in Lebanon (1983)
Two truck bombs hit buildings in Beirut, Lebanon that was housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon, who were peacekeeping during the Lebanon civil war. -
Invasion of Grenada
The United States as well as a group of 6 Caribbean Nations invaded Grenada. It resulted in military occupation for a few days. The invasion eventually ended on October 29, 1983, 4 days later. -
Social Security reform becomes law
In 1981 more than a million disability beneficiaries had their benefits stopped. With widespread media and federal court criticism, Congress created the Reform Act which strengthened the legal position of SSDI beneficiaries. -
Military buildup (B-1 Bomber and MX missiles)
Reagan significantly increased the military's budget from $267.1 billion to $393.1 billion in 1988. The increase was made to help protect the U.S. from Soviet attacks. -
Farm credit crises (Feb 1985)
Farmland value dropped 60% between 1981-1985 in parts of the Midwest due to tight money policies by the federal reserve intended to bring down high-interest rates upwards of 21%. -
Embargo on Nicaragua
Reagan's Embargo prohibited all trade between the U.S. and Nicaragua, similar to the embargo against Cuba, its intent was to undermine the Sandinista government. -
Reagan, Gorbachev hold summit in Switzerland
A Cold-War era meeting was held in Switzerland between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to discuss international diplomatic relations and the arms race. -
Democrats gain seats (Nov 1986)
In 1986 Democrats won the popular vote in the House of Representatives by 7.7% of the votes -
U.S. illegally sells arms to Iran (Iran-Contra Affair)
Over the course of several years, senior administration officials secretly sold arms to the Khomeini government creating an arms embargo. -
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion (Reagan Speech)
The Challenger explosion was a rocket that was set to be launched into space, which exploded after officials continued to press the launch after being told of concerns. Reagan then gave a speech in honor of those who lost their lives. -
South African sanctions
The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 was enacted to impose sanctions against South Africa and stated 5 preconditions that had to be met in order to lift the sanction, which essentially would end the system of apartheid. -
Reagan and Gorbachev meet in Iceland
Reagan and Gorbachev meet again after the success of their first meeting and continued to discuss curbing their intermediate missile arsenals in Europe. -
Water Quality Control Act
The House of Representatives overrode Reagan's veto bill which would clean up the nation's water for $20 billion. -
Tower Commission concludes report (1987)
The CIA director William Casey, who was proven in support of the Iran-Contra arrangement, should have interfered in the arrangement and made sure the president knew exactly what was going on. -
Berlin Wall Speech in West Berlin (1987)
Reagan's speech telling Gorbachev to tear down the wall put pressure on Moscow to make good on its promises of openness and reform. -
Gorbachev, Reagan sign treaty (1987)
The treaty signed between the two was the first time the two countries had agreed to reduce their arsenals, as well as eliminate an entire category of nuclear weapons, and employ inspections to ensure they were following the agreement. -
Reagan prohibits abortion assistance (1988
On January 22, 1988, President Reagan endorsed a bill that prohibited federal money from being used for Medicaid abortions for the poor, coverage of abortions in health insurance as well as research and population control programs that promoted abortion. -
Reagan visits Soviet Union (1988)
As Reagan walked through Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow, he announced that the cold war with the Soviet Union was officially over. -
Reagan says farewell
After 8 years in office, Reagan gives his farewell address to the nation. He declared that America "rediscovered" its commitment to freedom during the 80s. Reagan then left office as one of the most popular modern U.S. Presidents.