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Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Ronald Reagan


 

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois. Before becoming a politician, Reagan had a long career as an actor and union leader for the actors’ guild.

Reagan began his acting career in his 20s before he switched to being a governor of California for 8 years.

He was known as a great communicator since he was able to blend with local Americans. Reagan was also a plain-spoken president full of wit and wisdom.

During his time as president, Reagan helped reduce taxes, increased military spending, and negotiated on nuclear arms reduction.

Here are more remarkable facts about Ronald Reagan.

1. His first job was as a Radio Sports commentator

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Reagan came from a low-income family from a small town in northern Illinois. He had a happy childhood.

After graduating from Eureka College in 1932, he got his first job at a radio station as a radio sports commentator. He became the voice of the Chicago Cubs.

He loved the entertainment industry and his talent was easily recognized.  

2. Reagan was an actor too

After moving to California in 1937, Reagan got to work as an actor where he got featured in major productions.

He became the president of the Screen Actors Guild and was leading in fighting communist influence. In the 50s, he became a motivational speaker at general electric factories.

One speech he made in 1964, a time for choosing, earned him national attention and he became the conservative spokesman.

He was elected as the governor for California in 1966. Reagan was also the first actor to become the president of the United States.

3. He had a happy childhood

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Ronald Reagan mentioned that he had a happy childhood growing up. His father worked as a salesman while his mother was his teacher. She taught him how to read aged five.

Reagan’s grandparents were of Irish and Scottish descent. He later went to Eureka College in Illinois in 1932.

4. Reagan believed in astrology

Reagan and his wife were strong believers in astrology. He was raised by staunch Catholic parents.

Astrology made a significant part in decision making in his life. When he took his oath as the Governor, he did it at 12:10 Am because the stars were aligned.

5. Growing up, he was referred to by his nickname

Reagan’s parents nicknamed him Dutch as a baby. His father said that he resembled a fat little Dutchman. He had Irish and Scottish ancestry.  

His haircut resembled that of a Dutch boy. He was also called Ronnie since he was a chubby baby. 

As an adult, Reagan was known as Gipper, a nickname he got from his role in Knute Rockne, All American.

6. Although Reagan was an excellent actor, he never won an Oscar

By BDS2006 – Wikimedia

Most of the films that Reagan featured in were never nominated for any awards. This did not dampen his spirits and he kept excelling in his acting career.

Reagan was not happy that no one acknowledged his success as an actor to a president. He never received an honorary award.

7. He served in the military

Reagan was enlisted in the Army Reserve in April 1937. He was assigned as a second lieutenant in the Officers Reserve Corp in May 1937.

He took up active duty in World War II in 1942. Reagan put his acting career on hold. His time in the army was short due to poor eyesight.  

During his active duty, he produced more than 400 training films for the Air Force. He later went back to acting.

8. Reagan was an FBI informant

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During his time in Hollywood, Reagan became active in politics. This led to him becoming an FBI informant.

Reagan and his wife tipped the FBI on suspected communists in Hollywood. He thought that Hollywood was a hotbed of the sympathizers.

His code mane was T-10. He would tell of pro-communist influences in the Screen Actors Guild and other Hollywood organizations.

9. Reagan did not shy away from addressing apartheid

Reagan was actively involved in geopolitics. He came up with an alternative strategy for opposing apartheid in South Africa.

His administration developed a policy to encourage dialogue with the South African government to abolish apartheid.

The policy was criticised and in response, Reagan announced the imposition of new sanctions on the South African government.

Several European countries followed the U.S. lead and imposed their sanctions on South Africa.

10. Reagan did not care much about the environment

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Reagan dismissed proposals to halt acid rain finding them heavy on the industry.

His influence led to the budget cut of the Environmental Protection Agency. He said the proposal was wasteful to the government resources.

Reagan also questioned scientific evidence on the causes of acid rain. In 1986, Reagan removed the solar panels that his predecessor Carter had installed on the roof of the White House’s West Wing, citing a damaged roof.

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