-
Ronald Reagan was born on Feb. 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois.
-
Reagan got baptized at 11 years old, and continued his path in Christ throughout his life. He was an athlete, and an actor in high school, as well as working at a young age. He also was an active member of school clubs and councils, helping his political path.
-
After graduating from Eureka, Reagan was in the midst of the Great Depression. Reagan eventually found a radio announcer job in Davenport, Iowa, for $10 a game. He then moved to an NBC radio outlet in Des Moines, Iowa. He became a play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs travelled to California for a game one time, and Reagan began to test his hand at Hollywood.
-
Reagan proved to be successful in Hollywood. He began as a "b-roll" actor, meaning he was in the backgrounds of movies, yet in 1937, he found his first role with true credit to his name, in the film "Love is on the Air." By 1939, he had 19 movies credited to his name. In 1940, he found one of his most popular parts, as George Gipp in "Knute Rockne, All American." His most popular part was a part in "King's Row" in 1942, until he had to leave for active duty.
-
Reagan had been called to active duty for WWII on April 18, 1942. He found a break because he was nearsighted, and had poor vision. Reagan was moved to California and became a liaison officer, then became an actor for propaganda and training videos for the war, as a part of the First Motion Picture Unit. He won an Oscar for his performance in "Beyond the Line of Duty", a short film he made during this time.
-
After Reagan's work with the Screen Actors guild, from 1941 to 1952, Reagan left, not wanting to begin his political career. He knew his movie business was failing, yet he found a break in television in the General Electric Theater. He was the host of TV shows, and began his true political career, with asking many political questions on his show. He made about $150,000 a year, which is about 1.35M today. His contract was cancelled in 1962, because of management issues.
-
Reagan married one of his co-stars, Nancy Davis. After his divorce with Jane Wyman in 1948, Reagan and Davis were almost instantly in love. This marriage lasted 52 years, until Reagan's death. -
Reagan began his long-term political career in the 1966 California Governor election. He had just parted his ways with the Democratic Party, who was doing the country no favors at the time. California was in desperate need for change. The prior governors were tearing the state apart, and voters wanted someone to bring them together. Reagan filled this need. He won 53 of California's 58 counties, a landslide. It was just Reagan's beginning. -
Reagan had served his two terms as the California Governor, and really didn't move up, even though his sights were set on national leadership. In this 6 year span, Reagan was writing in a political column in the newspaper, giving his insights regularly. He would also give speeches and do radio still. In 1976, Reagan tried to run, but was not picked as the Republican candidate, and his party lost to the Democratic Jimmy Carter.
-
In the midst of the 1980 president race, Iranian students stormed the American Embassy and took 52 Americans hostage. Much of the country pinned the blame on Jimmy Carter, which would help Reagan's race for president, in a big way.
-
Reagan was back in 1979 for the 1980 election. With many other names wanting to run for the Republicans, Reagan had his competition. He named George H.W. Bush as his VP candidate, after getting nominated at the Republican Convention. The campaign race was a fierce one. Even third party candidate John Anderson put up a good fight. Reagan began using his famous quote, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" -
Exactly one year after the Iranian Hostage Crisis began, Ronald Reagan wins his presidency. He won in a landslide, with 489 electoral votes, Carter only receiving 49. The GOP also won 53 new House seats and 12 new Senate seats. After assembling his cabinet, Reagan got to work. He claimed government as the problem, and that they need to start working for the people. He also took a great step, and freed the hostages in Iran to start his presidency. -
Reagan's first term gained much support after the attempted assassination, early in the term. He passed the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, but it didn't perform quite as well as he thought yet. He also faced issues with air control early in his term, and had to fire 12,000 union members. 1983 was a golden year of growth. The unemployment rate was dropping quickly, and the Dow Jones Industrial rose about 33% in his whole first term. Although the growth, issues were still on the rise.
-
On March 30, 1981, shots struck Reagan, as well as his press secretary James Brady, and a DC Policeman. These shots were fired by John Hinckley Junior. These shots broke Reagan's ribs, without him even realizing he was hit. He was taken to the hospital right away, where he then joked about his near-death experience with his wife. He was released from the hospital on April 11 in well enough condition. -
The Cold War was stilling the world problem. The Middle East had become a large problem, and the US had to support Iran. In 1987 the US began some internal problems against this Iranian support, yet not too big of an issue. The USSR introduced a new leader in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev. He realized it was his own government failing him. They met for multiple years before coming to agreements in Dec. 1987, and began to thaw out the Cold War in just a couple years.
-
Reagan won his second presidency easily, 525 electoral votes, and had his sights set on even bigger things, the USSR. Reagan faced some internal difficulty at first, but was gearing up for the Soviets. Reagan's goal was to be a nuclear weapon free world. He increased the defense budget to $1 trillion. Reagan was trying to rally all Americans against all Communism. On October 25, 1983, during Reagan's first time, Grenada was invaded because of assassination attempts on their leader.
-
In an interview in 1986, Reagan seemed to not know who he really was until the end of the interview. Just a few years later, Reagan was bucked from a horse, and it continued to take a toll on him. In 1994, Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The country felt for the former president. He lived for just 10 more years after his diagnosis.
-
Reagan's presidential legacy was unlike most. He was one of the main reasons of the end of the Cold War, as well as the catalyst behind one of the largest economical growths during his two terms. He shifted the nation towards more conservative views. He was coined "The Great Communicator", as he is famous for many of his speeches. He took giants steps for the country, and many of his beliefs were part of the Trump campaign, and still lingering in a large way today.
-
On June 5, 2004, Reagan took his last breaths. He was 93 years old. The funeral was held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, on June 11, 2004, where some 100,000 people came to pay their respects. Big names such as Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, Tony Blair, Prince Charles, George H.W. and George W. Bush, as well as others. His presidency left a large effect on the world, and his funeral was proof of that. He was one of the most influential Presidents in US history.
Plan projects on a visual timeline
Map milestones, phases, deadlines, and key events in one place so the sequence is easier to see and share. Timetoast is a timeline maker for work, school, research, and stories.