“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
– Ronald Reagan
We all know that Ronald Reagan was a great actor, the biggest enemy of the Soviet Union, and a Republican superstar. But there are things that you may not still know about our main man Reagan. A bit of an intro, Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States of America. He is one of the most known Presidents in history because of his economic policies dubbed as “Reaganomics” and his role in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Reagan left office in the year 1989, and died in June 5, 2004. He was 93 years old.
Now here are 9 facts about Ronald Reagan.
- Ronald Reagan wasn’t just the President of America, he also became a President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1947 to 1952.
- He was also a spokesperson for General Electric or GE in which he hosted a show named G.E. True Theater.
- His hatred from communism goes way back even before he was President. He was a secret FBI informant in Hollywood. Reagan presented names of actors who were suspected to be communist sympathizers.
- Ronald Reagan was near-sighted since childhood and began wearing glasses in high-school. He wore contact lenses when he became an actor.
- He was also hard of hearing especially in his right ear. This was caused by another actor who fired a gun near Reagan’s ear. He never named the actor who fired the gun, and even the movie in which they were in. He started wearing a hearing aid in 1983.
- His nicknames included Ronnie, The Gipper, The Teflon President, The Great Communicator, and Dutch because his father used to call him “fat little Dutchman.”
- Add this to his credentials. “Dutch” was also a lifeguard who was credited with saving 77 lives during the 7 summers he worked at Lowell Park in Dixon.
- Up to this day, he is still one of the best known Republican Presidents and considered an icon, but before he leaned to the conservative right, he was a Democrat who supported Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.
- Proving he’s a badass, he survived an assassination attempt on March 30, 1981. The shooter was John Hinckley, Jr.
Up to this day, he has been the most successful actor in history as he has a prolific acting career in TV and the movies, two terms as the Governor of California, and two terms as the President of the United States.
