The 40th U. S. president Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. Due to his unique hairstyle he was nicknamed “Dutch” by his father. He had his early education in Dixon where he actively participated in sports, acting and story- telling.
President Ronald Reagan is an interesting character to follow. He has stood up to the power of the world and has been a great leader for the country he leads. You will find so many interesting facts about Ronald Reagan.
Fact One: His family was not from this country. Ronald Reagan’s father was German born and his mother was born in a neutral country. Many believe that this may have contributed to his being an anti-war activist at a young age.
Fact Two: Ronald Reagan did not want to attend university, and as he grew older wanted to get out of school. He was advised by his lawyer to study law, but instead, he wanted to work on a ranch. He spent the next few years as a ranch hand. He returned to school when he got married and earned a law degree.
Fact Three: Ronald Reagan worked as a carpenter and as a groundskeeper and a cook while he attended college. He attended a Baptist college and as a result, he did not get much of a paycheck as the student loan requirements were higher.
Fact Four: As a law student, President Reagan went to work for the farm bureau. His boss was James Eastland, an Agriculture Secretary. This meant that he was at the center of a food disaster. He never saw the worst of the food shortages during the civil war.
Fact Five: President Reagan was not officially involved in politics until after he was elected. In this role, he became a Republican. He wrote speeches for George Romney and supported Congressman Bob Dole. He made speeches on many issues and also met with Mr. Ford to meet his concerns over the United Nations’ stance against Israel.
Fact Six: During his time as a Congressman, President Reagan used taxpayer funds to fund the OSS. This was also done by President Eisenhower. It was also a way to get the ACM (American Civilian Military Assistance) needed by President Johnson to suppress the civil war.
Fact Seven: President Ronald Reagan did not serve in the military. President Reagan was a former actor who began working as a nurse. He did this after a terrorist attack on Hollywood.
Fact Eight: President Reagan made a speech for the Pope and the Chinese about tolerance. During this speech, he proposed that every nation accept people from other nations.
Fact Nine: Ronald Reagan introduced the first telephones in public. He made the speech and the phone were invented in a laboratory. The telephones were sold and President Reagan received a check for them.
Fact Ten: President Reagan made a speech that was broadcast over the radio and it was the first time people were able to hear his full range of humor. He has been quoted as saying that President Ford was “the first president who was not my age.”
While a student of high school he took up his first job as a lifeguard at the Rock River and saved 77 lives there. He completed his bachelor’s degree from Eureka College where he was admitted due to athletics scholarship which he won in 1928. Here also he actively participated in co-curricular activities. Once a graduate he served many radio stations as a sports announcer. Finally in 1937 he gave a screen test and signed a seven year contract with Warner Brothers. This was his first step in Hollywood and he got break through his first movie “Love is in the Air”. In 1937, during the Second World War Ronald joined Army Air Corps and reached to the rank of captain. In 1945 he left the army and again became the part of Hollywood. In between he married Jane Wyman in 1940, had two children from her but Jane opposed his political career and they were finally divorced in 1949 which recorded him as the only divorcee president of the U. S. A strong supporter of the Democratic Party changed to the Republic Party after the Second World War. Winning the hearts of many he soon became a famous politician. It was in 1967 that he became the governor of California and brought about many social reforms which proved fruitful and he won again in 1971. In 1980 Ronald Reagan won Presidential Elections and served for two consecutive terms and retired as the oldest president at the age of 77 in 1989. He died on June 5, 2004 of pneumonia at the age of 93.
Ronald Reagan coined the term “New World Order” which was later connected to many conspiracy theories. During his presidency Reagan sold weapons to Iran and ended cold war without firing a shot. He of course also had many interactions with Asia, Canada, and Australia during his career.
Stay current with other interesting figures in history such as Elon Musk or Andy Warhol or Pablo Picasso. Don’t overlook Mark Twain and Peter The Great and JD Salinger as well.
