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Minutes after Reagan's Inauguration, the 52 hostages being held at the American Embassy in Iran were released -
Reagan's first Inauguration as 40th President of the United States -
Reagan proposes increased defense spending, and decreased taxes and domestic spending in speech to Congress -
Reagan is shot in the chest by John Warnock Hinckley Jr -
Reagan lifts a grain embargo imposed on Soviet Union by President Carter. -
Reagan orders the dismissal of 13,000 PATCO air traffic controllers out on strike, citing their violation of a federal law against industry strikes. -
Reagan nominates Sandra Day O'Connor to fill the seat of retiring Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart, making O'Connor the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court. -
Reagan imposes economic sanctions on Poland following that government's imposition of martial law. -
Reagan calls for “New Federalism” in his State of the Union address, advocating less federal spending and more state initiative to solve social and economic problems. -
Reagan becomes the first U.S. President to address the combined Houses of Parliament, taking Britain's side in the Falkland Islands conflict with Argentina. -
Reagan signs the Tax Equity & Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA). -
Reagan urges development of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), an attempt to create a high-technology anti-ballistic missile shield to protect the United States from nuclear attack. -
President Reagan signs the Social Security Reform Bill into law. -
U.S. Marines in the capital city of Lebanon, Beirut, are attacked by suicide bombers. -
U.S. forces invade the island nation of Grenada to overthrow the military government that had carried out a government coup days before. Grenada, a small country, was no match for U.S. military force, and the U.S. forces subdued the opposing forces within a few days. -
The Reagan administration announces limited economic sanctions against South Africa after the South African government declares martial law. -
Farm credit crises pose serious a threat to U.S. agriculture. The Reagan administration eases rules on a loan-guarantee program, but rejects provisions for additional funding. -
The Reagan administration announces trade embargo against Nicaragua in an attempt to undermine the Sandinista government. This embargo was later found to be in violation of international law. -
Reagan and Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev hold a summit meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the first such meeting between U.S and Soviet heads of state since 1979. -
The Challenger Space Shuttle exploded shortly after launching, killing all of the members inside the shuttle including a teacher. -
Reagan and Gorbachev meet in Reykjavik, Iceland. -
The Democrats win control of Senate, the first time during Reagan's tenure that both houses of Congress are in Democratic hands. -
Reagan informs Congress that the United States secretly sold arms to Iran in violation of federal laws prohibiting arms deals with Iran. The administration denies that the sales were part of an attempt to secure the release of American hostages held by Iranian-backed forces. -
Congress overrides Reagan's veto of the Water Quality Control Act, allowing the EPA to regulate pollutants in U.S. waters. -
The Tower Commission releases its report, finding no criminal wrongdoing on the part of the White House but remaining critical of the administration nonetheless. -
Gorbachev, tear down this wall", also known as the Berlin Wall Speech, was a speech delivered by United States President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin -
Gorbachev and Reagan meet in Washington, D.C., and sign the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. -
Reagan prohibits federally funded family-planning centers from providing assistance to women seeking abortions. -
Reagan visits the Soviet Union for the first time. -
Reagan delivers his farewell address as he leaves presidency after serving two terms.