-
Reagan was born
Ronald Wilson Reagan is born in Tampico, Ill., to Nelle Wilson Reagan and John Edward Reagan. The Reagans already had one previous son, Neil Reagan. -
Reagan Graduates High School
Reagan graduates from Dixon High School where he was student body president and participated in football, basketball, track, and school plays. These years were important for Reagan because it gave him the motivation to be able to lead people while he was the Student President. -
Reagan announces his Candidacy
On November 13th 1971, Ronald Reagan announced that he would run for President of the United States. In the speech announcing his candidacy, he called for "a new consensus with all those across the land who share a community of values embodied in these words: family, work, neighborhood, peace, and freedom." This was important because the Cold War was still going strong, and Americans wanted a President who would be tough on Communism and keep the American values strong. -
Reagan wins the Election
Ronald Reagan won the election in one of the most landside victories in American History. He only lost 5 states in the 1980 general election. This was a huge indication of the cultural pendulum had swung and changed in the 1980's to a much more conservative majority. -
Assassination Attempt
Reagan is shot in the chest by a crazed man (John Hinckley Jr.) when he was leaving the Washington Hotel. Fortunately, he makes a full recovery in the hospital. Three other people, including Reagan press secretary James Brady, are wounded in the assassination attempt. This was a big scare for America but a huge relief that he was alive. -
"Evil Empire"
In a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals, Reagan warns against ignoring "the aggressive impulses of an evil empire," casting a spotlight on the communist regime of the U.S.S.R. This was a huge shift in American policy towards the U.S.S.R. The Cold War had been going on for almost 50 years and Reagan was looking to finally end it. This spiked up tensions greatly between the two superpowers. -
Re-Elected
Reagan defeats Mondale in a landslide victory in the U.S. Presidential election that earns him a second term. Reagan carries 49 states -- 525 electoral votes to Mondale's 10, and 59% of the popular vote. This showed the American people loved him as a president. -
INF Treaty
In a Washington summit, Reagan and Gorbachev sign the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty to eliminate 4% of the superpowers' nuclear arsenals. It is the first U.S.- Soviet treaty to initiate plans for the destruction of nuclear weapons, and to provide for on-site monitoring of the destruction and disposal of these weapons. This was a huge path towards peace and progress, and marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War. -
Reagan's Death
Ronald Reagan dies in California at the age of 93. His Presidency was very influential in dismantling the Soviet Union, improving the American economy, and earning the trust of the American people. He will always be remembered as a historic President.
