The 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, was born on this day in history, February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois.
Before he became a movie star-turned-commander-in-chief, Reagan was born in a northwestern Illinois town to parents Nelle and John Reagan.
Although he was poor, Reagan remembered his childhood as “ideal,” according to History.com, and grew up to play football in high school and at Eureka College.
On this day in history, Feb. 5, 1937, FDR announced plans to pack the Supreme Court
While in college, Reagan studied economics and sociology and also acted in school plays, according to the White House website.
After graduating during the Great Depression, Reagan eventually took a job broadcasting sports at a radio station in Iowa.
Portrait of Ronald Reagan, 40th US President, in his early Hollywood years.
(Getty Images)
In 1937, Warner Bros. offered Reagan her first on-screen gig, playing a radio reporter in the B-movie “Love Is on the Air.”
A spokesman for the Reagan Library recalled the special friendship between Queen Elizabeth II and the former president
Reagan signed a seven-year contract starting at $200 per week, History.com notes.
A few years later, Reagan played the notable role of George Gupp of the University of Notre Dame in the film “Not Rockin’ – All American.”
Ronald Reagan is shown as he appeared in the 1940 Warner Bros. film “Not Rockin’ – All American” as George Gupp.
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Regan became involved in politics after acting in more than 50 films and serving six terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild.
In 1947, he testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee against alleged communism within Hollywood.
Reagan divorced his first wife, Jane Wyman, in 1948 and married actress Nancy Davis in 1952.
Ronald and Nancy Reagan shake hands in victory at Reagan’s first inauguration on January 20, 1981.
(CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
The early 1950s sparked Reagan’s career as host of the TV program “General Electric Theater” and traveling the country as a spokesman for the GE Company.
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Reagan’s political involvement increased in the 1960s when the actor changed his affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1962.
His campaign ushered in a new wave of conservatism in America.
In 1966, Reagan ran for governor of California and won by nearly a million votes against incumbent Pete Brown.
Reagan served two terms as governor of California before making a bid for the presidential ticket in 1976, losing to Gerald Ford.
During the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy with Sen Sturm Thurmond (far right).
(MPI/Getty Images)
But 1980 proved to be Reagan’s year when he won the Republican nomination, defeating incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter for president.
At the age of 69, Reagan was considered the oldest president in American history.
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His campaign ushered in a new wave of conservatism in America with his pledge to restore “the great, confident roar of American growth and progress and optimism.”
History.com says his career in Hollywood became one of his “greatest assets”, as he became known as the “Teflon President” and enjoyed a string of successes.
President Ronald W. Reagan speaks at a campaign fundraiser for Senate candidate Linda Chavez on October 1, 1986.
(Dirk Halstead/Getty Images)
“His tenure saw a revival of prosperity at home, with the goal of achieving ‘peace through strength’ abroad,” the White House said on its website.
Emerging from the turmoil of the Vietnam War, Reagan’s foreign policy legacy led to an open relationship with the Soviet Union in the late 1980s.
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The president’s economic policy, known as “Reagnomics,” emphasized accelerating economic growth, curbing inflation, increasing employment, and strengthening national defense.
President Reagan laughs after a joke by Queen Elizabeth II, who commented on the bad California weather she experienced during her time in the United States in March 1983.
(Bateman/Getty Images)
The president maintained his popularity during his two-term presidency after renewing national “self-confidence,” whitehouse.gov reports.
Reagan ceded the White House to his vice president, George HW Bush, in 1988.
On June 5, 2004, Reagan died at the age of 93 after a struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
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