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52 American Hostages Held in Iran released
After 444 days, and just a few hours after the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, 52 Americans held under a group of pro-Ayatollah students were released to be sent back to the U.S. -
Reagan Inaugurated
The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan was at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Ronald Reagan's presidency followed the presidency of Jimmy Carter. -
Spending speech (increase defense, decrease taxes)
Reagan delivers a speech to Congress proposing increased defense spending, and decreased taxes and domestic spending. -
Reagan Shot
Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C. as he was returning to his limousine after a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel. -
Soviet grain embargo lifted
President Jimmy Carter announced an embargo on 17 million metric tons of grain shipments to the Soviet Union because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 1981, Ronald Reagan lifted the grain embargo. -
Reagan and air-traffic controllers strike
PATCO called for a reduced 32-hour workweek, a $10,000 pay increase for all air-traffic controllers, and a better benefits package for retirement, when these demands were not met they went on strike. Reagan then fired them and banned them from federal service jobs for life. -
Sandra Day O’Connor nominated to Supreme Court
Reagan promised to appoint the first woman to the highest court in his 1980 campaign, and he fulfilled that promise when he elected Sandra Day O'Connor to the supreme court. -
Military buildup (B-1 Bomber and MX missiles)
Reagan asked Congress for a program of $180.3 billion to build 100 MX land-based missiles and 100 B1 bombers. Reagan wanted to strengthen homeland defense. -
Tax Equity & Fiscal Responsibility Act
Federal legislation passed in 1982 and introduced in 1981 to cut the budget deficit through federal spending cuts, tax increases, and reform measures. -
Reagan delivers his first State of the Union
Reagan delivered his first State of the Union address and remarked on the historical significance of the tradition. -
Reagan addresses Parliament in England
Reagan spoke in front of the British Parliament explaining his position on Communism and urging Britain to aid in the ending of Communism. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
The initiative was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons (intercontinental and submarine-launched). -
Social Security reform becomes law
The reform of the Social Security Act made up to half of the value of the Social Security benefit was made potentially taxable income. -
Sanctions on Poland
After the imposition of martial law, the U.S. imposed policies of economic sanctions against the regime, and supported the opposition contributed to the ultimate fall of the communist government. -
Suicide bombers attack U.S. Marines in Lebanon
Amid a bloody civil war in Lebanon, a Lebanese terrorist drove a bomb-laden truck through guard posts and fences and into the lobby of the Marines Corps headquarters in Beirut, where he detonated a massive bomb, killing 241 marine, navy, and army personnel. -
Invasion of Grenada
Reagan sent troops over because of the People's Revolutionary Government (Grenada's government, Marxist) which resulted in the house arrest and execution of the previous leader and second Prime Minister of Grenada Maurice Bishop, and the establishment of the Revolutionary Military Council. -
Farm credit crises
After the Federal Reserve implemented tight money policies intended to bring down interest rates, farmland value dropped 60% in some parts of the Midwest. Farm debt nearly doubled and many farmers were in serious financial trouble. -
Embargo on Nicaragua
This embargo prohibited all trade between the U.S. and Nicaragua under the Ronald Reagan administration. -
Reagan & Gorbachev hold summit in Switzerland
The Geneva Summit was the first meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev where they discussed the Cold War-era arms race, primarily the possibility of reducing the number of nuclear weapons. -
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion (Reagan Speech)
After the Challenger exploded while still in the atmosphere, killing all aboard Reagan addressed the nation after the tragedy. He wanted to offer condolences to the witnesses and those personally affected, he also wanted to advocate future space quests despite the accident. -
South African sanctions
Economic sanctions were placed on South Africa by the U.S. that could only be lifted if South Africa ended the system of apartheid. -
Reagan and Gorbachev meet in Iceland
The second meeting of US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. Following up on the previous year’s Geneva Summit, Reagan and Gorbachev continued to work toward and debate the possible terms of nuclear arms reduction at Reykjavík. -
Democrats gain seats Midterm Elections
In the 1986 Senate elections, Democrats regained the majority with 55 Democrats to 45 Republicans. This new majority did not bode well for Reagan, who had hoped to keep the Republican majority. -
Water Quality Control Act
This was an amendment to the 1972 Control Act and it phased out the construction grants program, replacing it with the State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund. -
Tower Commission Concludes Report
The conclusion of this report stated that CIA Director William Casey, who supported the Iran-Contra arrangement, should have taken over the operation and made the president aware of the risks, and notified Congress as legally required. -
U.S. illegally sells arms to Iran (Iran-Contra Affair)
The Iran-Contra Affair was a secret arms deal. Senior administration officials in the Reagan admin. sold arms to Iran (under an arms embargo) hoping that the proceeds from the deal would fund the Contras (opposition in Nicaragua). -
Berlin Wall Speech in West Berlin
Reagan delivered a speech at the West Berlin wall that challenged Soviet leader Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, which had become a symbol of the repressive Communist government in Germany. -
Gorbachev, Reagan sign treaty
Gorbachev and Reagan signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). This landmark agreement proposed to eliminate all intermediate and short-range ground-based missiles and launchers from Europe. -
Reagan prohibits abortion assistance
President Reagan announced rules prohibiting abortions and abortion counseling by family planning programs that receive Federal funds. -
Reagan visits Soviet Union
Ronald Reagan met with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and they finalized the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). They also discussed other bilateral issues. -
Reagan says Farewell
His last televised speech was given from the Oval Office to close out his two-term presidency.