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Iran Hostage Crisis
On November 4, 1979, 52 Americans were taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Demonstrators had seized the embassy and demanded the extradition of ousted Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who, at the time of the embassy seizure, was hospitalized in New York. The United States refused to meet the demand. The hostages were held for 444 days, finally being released on Jan. 20, 1981 -
Reagan inaugurated
With the country riddled with high inflation, unemployment, gas shortages, and the Iran hostage crisis, former California governor Ronald Reagan easily defeated President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election. In his inaugural address, President Reagan promises to limit the federal government's reach. -
Spending speech (increase defense, decrease taxes)
Reagan proposes increased defense spending and decreased taxes and domestic spending in a speech to Congress. -
Reagan shot
Ronald Reagen shot in the chest by John Warnock Hinckley Jr in Los Angeles California -
Soviet grain embargo lifted
Reagan lifts a grain embargo imposed on the Soviet Union by President Carter. -
Reagan and air-traffic controllers strike
Reagan orders the dismissal of 13,000 PATCO air traffic controllers out on strike, citing their violation of federal law against industry strikes. -
Sandra Day O’Connor nominated to Supreme Court
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. -
Military buildup (B-1 Bomber and MX missiles)
Reagan declares that the United States will produce the B-1 bomber and MX missiles as part of a military buildup. -
Sanctions on Poland
Reagan imposes economic sanctions on Poland following that government's imposition of martial law. -
Reagan delivers his first State of the Union
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 addresses Parliament in England
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. -
Tax Equity & amp; Fiscal Responsibility Act
Reagan signs the Tax Equity & Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA), which was designed to reduce the federal budget deficit through a combination of tax increases, spending cuts, and tax reform measures. -
.South African sanctions
The Reagan administration announces limited economic sanctions against South Africa after the South African government declares martial law. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
Reagan urges the 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. -
Social Security reform becomes law
President Reagan signs the Social Security Reform Bill into law which is a reduction or elimination of benefits for wealthier and/ or higher-income participants and beneficiaries and is generally referred to as means-testing. -
Suicide bombers attack U.S. Marines in Lebanon (1983)
Suicide bombers crashed a truck bearing more than 2,000 pounds of explosives through protective barricades at U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Since the attack took place early on a Sunday morning, it found most of the troops asleep in their beds. The explosion devastated the compound, collapsing the floors of the building on top of each other, killing 241 U.S. servicemen. -
Invasion of Grenada
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. -
Farm credit crises
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. -
Embargo on Nicaragua
The Reagan administration announces a 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, Gorbachev hold summit in Switzerland
Reagan and Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev hold a summit meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the first such meeting between the U.S and Soviet heads of state since 1979. -
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion (Reagan Speech)
President Ronald Reagan delivered a televised eulogy on Jan. 28, 1986, after the Challenger disaster. -
Democrats gain seats
The Democrats win control of the Senate, the first time during Reagan's tenure that both houses of Congress are in Democratic hands. -
U.S. illegally sells arms to Iran (Iran-Contra Affair)
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. -
Water Quality Control Act
Congress overrides Reagan's veto of the Water Quality Control Act, allowing the EPA to regulate pollutants in U.S. waters. -
Tower Commission concludes report
The Tower Commission releases its report, finding no criminal wrongdoing on the part of the White House but remaining critical of the administration nonetheless. -
Berlin Wall Speech in West Berlin
President Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech was the official declaration of the United States' position against communism and helped the Germans reunify their country. Overall the end goal of the speech was to gain peace and prosperity. -
Gorbachev, Reagan sign treaty
Gorbachev and Reagan meet in Washington, D.C., and sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. -
Reagan prohibits abortion assistance (1988)
Reagan prohibits federally funded family-planning centers from providing assistance to women seeking abortions. -
Reagan visits Soviet Union (1988)
Reagan visits the Soviet Union for the first time -
Reagan says farewell
Reagan delivers his farewell address at the Oval Office and George H. W. Bush is elcted