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Ronald Reagan inaugurated
He was inaugurated as 40th President of the United States at the West front of Washington D.C. This was the first inauguration to be held in the west side of the building. -
Fifty two American hostages held in Iran are released
The hostages were taken on November 4 1979, they released them a couple of hours after the inaugural address delivered by Reagan. -
Spending speech
President Reagan delivers a speech in the beginning of his time as President before a joint meeting. This speech and meeting was about economic recovery. -
Reagan shot
President 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. The attacker thought he could impress the actress Jodie Foster since he was obsessed by her. -
Soviet grain embargo lifted
It was established in January 1980 by Jimmy Carter in response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. In this date Reagan lifted it -
Reagan and air-traffic controllers strike
The union declared a strike which was illegal and the Reagan Administration had to decertificate it afterwards -
Sandra Day O'Connor nominated at the Supreme Court
She was nominated my Reagan that so fulfilled his promise to appoint the first woman in the Supreme Court. -
Military buildup
Reagan declares that he asked for 100 MXs and 100 B1 bombers to upgrade the national's nuclear forces. -
Reagan delivers his first State of the Union
The speech lasted 40 minutes and it was broadcast in radio and television. -
Reagan addresses Parliament in England
It was the first speech by an American president to a meeting of both houses of the British Parliament, President Ronald Reagan presents his hope for a future that would "leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history." -
Tax equity and fiscal responsibility Act (TEFRA)
The final version was signed by Ronald Reagan on this date. This act wa developed between the summers of 1981 and 1982 to "save" the economy to go back in recess. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
It was nicknamed the "Star Wars program" and it was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons -
Suicide bombers attack U.S. Marines in Lebanon
241 US service personnel are killed by a truck bomb at a Marine compound in Beirut, Lebanon. Three hundred service members had been living at the four-story building at the airport in Beirut. -
Invasion of Grenada
The U.S. and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, 100 miles north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, it resulted in military occupation within a few days -
Social Security reform becomes law
It has been described as "one of the key pieces of social welfare legislation" enacted toward the end of Reagan's first term in office. -
Embargo on Nicaragua
Made to prohibit all trade between the U.S. and Nicaragua, it was intended to undermine the Sandanista government which came to power in 1979 -
Farm credit crises
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U.S. illegally sells arms to Iran (Iran-Contra Affair)
Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to the Khomeini government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo. -
Reagan, Gorbachev hold summit in Switzerland
It is the first meeting between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. It was held in Geneva, Switzerland -
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion
When President Ronald Reagan heard about the Challenger explosion the morning of January 28, 1986, he was preparing to give the State of the Union address that very night. He postponed the speech for the following week, and instead directly addressed the nation on the disaster -
Reagan and Gorbachev meet in Iceland
It has remained in history as a near successful attempt of leaders of nuclear powers to agree on complete elimination of nuclear weapons -
Democrats gain seats
The Democrats won a net gain of eight seats to recapture control of the United States Senate, taking back the chamber for the first time since the 1980 elections -
Water Quality Control Act
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Reagan lifts sanctions on Poland
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Tower Commission concludes report
The Commission's report, concluded that CIA Director William Casey should have taken over the operation and made the president aware of the risks and notified Congress as legally required. -
Berlin Wall Speech in West Berlin
Reagan spoke near the wall in front of Berlin's famous Brandenburg Gate. -
Gorbachev, Reagan sign treaty
U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty. 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
The Moscow Summit was a summit meeting between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev. -
Reagan says farewell
The final speech of President Reagan, the 40th President of the United States of America.
