Ronald Reagan Fast Facts

Here’s a look at the life of Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States.

Personal

Birth date: February 6, 1911

Death date: June 5, 2004

Birth place: Tampico, Illinois

Birth name: Ronald Wilson Reagan

Father: John Edward Reagan, shoe salesman

Mother: Nelle (Wilson) Reagan

Marriages: Nancy (Davis) Reagan (March 4, 1952-June 5, 2004, his death); Jane Wyman (January 26, 1940-June 28 1949, divorced)

Children: with Nancy Reagan: Ronald Prescott, 1958 and Patricia Ann, 1952; with Jane Wyman: Maureen Elizabeth, 1941-2001 and Michael Edward (adopted), 1945

Education: Eureka College, B.A., 1932

Military Service: US Army, 1942-1945, Captain

Other Facts

Appointed the first female US Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor.

Nicknamed “The Gipper” due to his famous role as George Gipp in the film “Knute Rockne-All American.”

Liked to feed the squirrels outside the Oval Office.

Loved jelly beans.

Timeline

1932-1937 – Works as a sports announcer in the Midwest.

1937- Moves to California and begins acting in movies.

1942-1945 – Serves in the Army.

1947-1952 and 1959-1960 – President of the Screen Actors Guild.

1954-1962 – Host and actor on the television show “General Electric Theater.”

1964-1965 – Hosts the television series “Death Valley Days.”

1964 – Delivers a televised speech in support of presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.

1967-1975 – Governor of California.

1976 – Runs unsuccessfully against Gerald Ford for the Republican Party presidential nomination.

November 4, 1980 – Is elected president of the United States.

January 20, 1981 – Is sworn in as president of the United States.

March 30, 1981 – Is shot during an assassination attempt.

April 11, 1981 – Is released from the hospital.

November 6, 1984 – Is reelected president.

July 13, 1985 – Undergoes surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his colon.

1987 – Submits the first trillion-dollar budget request.

1998 – The Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

1990 – Reagan’s autobiography “An American Life” is published.

January 13, 1993 – Is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

November 5, 1994 – Announces that he has Alzheimer’s disease.

May 16, 2002 – Reagan and wife Nancy are awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

June 5, 2004 – Dies at the age of 93.

June 11, 2004 – Is interred at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, in Simi Valley, California.