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Soviet grain embargo lifted
The United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union was enacted in response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, then Reagan lifted it. -
U.S. illegally sells arms to Iran (Iran-Contra Affair)
The Iran-Contra Affair was a secret U.S. arms deal that traded missiles and other arms to free some Americans held hostage by terrorists in Iran. -
Fifty-two American hostages held in Iran released.
52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim took them. -
Reagan inaugurated
The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1981. -
Spending speech (increase defense, decrease taxes)
Reagan proposes increased defense spending, and decreased taxes and domestic spending in speech to Congress. March 10, 1981. Reagan sends budget to Congress. -
Reagan shot
United States President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C. -
Sandra Day O’Connor nominated to Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Connor was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Reagan, 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. -
Reagan and air-traffic controllers strike
The Reagan administration fired the 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order, and banned them from federal service for life. -
Sanctions on Poland
President Reagan ordered a series of economic reprisals against the Polish government. -
Tax Equity & Fiscal Responsibility Act
The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) is federal legislation passed in 1982 to cut the budget deficit through federal spending cuts and taxes. -
Reagan addresses Parliament in England
The first speech by an American president to a meeting of both houses of the British Parliament. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
A proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons. -
Suicide bombers attack U.S. Marines in Lebanon (1983)
A suicide bomber drives a truck packed with explosives into the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. military personnel. -
Invasion of Grenada
The U.S. and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, 100 miles north of Venezuela. -
Social Security reform becomes law
Covers under Social Security on a mandatory basis all employees of tax-exempt nonprofit organizations as of January 1, 1984. -
Embargo on Nicaragua
The United States embargo against Nicaragua was declared by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan on May 1, 1985, and prohibited all trade between the U.S. and Nicaragua. -
Farm credit crises (Feb 1985)
In 1985 farmers throughout the Midwest US struggled to keep the family farms that had been in their families for generations. -
Reagan, Gorbachev hold summit in Switzerland
The Geneva Summit of 1985 was a Cold War-era meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. It was held on November 19 and 20, 1985, between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. -
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion (Reagan Speech)
A speech he made about the people who died in the space shuttle. -
Reagan delivers his first State of the Union
Ronald Reagan delivers his first State of the Union address as president of the United States. -
South African sanctions
The law imposed sanctions against South Africa and stated five preconditions for lifting the sanctions that would essentially end the system of apartheid, which the latter was under at the time. -
Tower Commission concludes report (1987)
The Commission's report, published on February 27, 1987, included that CIA Director William Casey, who supported the Iran-Contra arrangement, should have taken over the operation and made the president aware of the risks and notified Congress as legally required. -
Berlin Wall Speech in West Berlin (1987)
Reagan called for the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open the Berlin Wall, which had separated West and East Berlin since 1961. -
Gorbachev, Reagan sign treaty (1987)
This agreement proposed to eliminate all intermediate and short-range ground-based missiles and launchers from Europe. -
Water Quality Control Act
A bill passed for the construction of sewage plants. -
Reagan prohibits abortion assistance (1988)
The Reagan Administration today prohibited most of the nation's family planning clinics from providing advice or other assistance that would help women obtain abortions. -
Reagan visits Soviet Union (1988)
Reagan and Gorbachev finalized the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. They continued to discuss bilateral issues like Central America, Southern Africa, the Middle East and the pending withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. -
Reagan says farewell
At this time Reagan was leaving office, and gave a memorable speech.