Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989, serving two full terms.  Born in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan was involved in the entertainment business before entering politics. During his presidency, he advocated lower taxes and higher defence spending. He died in 2004 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for a decade.

Fact 1. Ronald Reagan is the only President who was involved in the movie industry as a professional actor before becoming president.

Fact 2. Reagan initially supported the Democrats before switching over to the Republicans in 1962.

Fact 3.  Reagan is the only serving president to have survived an assassination attempt in 1980, albeit with a punctured lung.

Fact 4.   Reagan’s administration was also involved in the Iran-Contra scandal where arms were supplied to Iran, despite an arms embargo, for the release of seven American hostages held by Iranian terrorists in Lebanon. Money from the sale of the arms was diverted to the Contras in Nicaragua. This was counter to the administration’s stand of not negotiating with terrorist. This arm-for hostages deal was one of the major scandals of the 1980s.

Fact 5.  Ronald Reagan is known for his role in strengthening relations with the Soviet Union by establishing a new spirit of openness termed as glasnost.

Fact 6.   Reagan is the oldest President to date to be sworn in as president at the age of 69 years and 349 days. He is also known as the longest living president.

Fact 7. Reaganomics was a termed coined during his first term after the success of his economic policies. This was accompanied by policies that emphasised personal freedom, expanded the scope of the army and brought the Cold War to an end.  The main target of the policies was to reduce social spending, dependence on government and boost entrepreneurship.

Fact 8.  Reagan did not serve actively in the military due to nearsightedness.

Fact 9. In 1998, Reagan’s contribution to the country was recognised in the renaming of the Washington D.C airport to the Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Fact 10.  The Gipper and the great communicator are two of the names he is associated with long after his death on June 5, 2004.