- He served two terms as governor of California. Originally a liberal Democrat, Reagan ran for the U.S. presidency as a conservative Republican and won two terms, beginning in 1980.
- His father nicknamed him "Dutch," saying he resembled "a fat little Dutchman.
- He had five kids Ron Reagan, Patti Davis, Michael Reagan, Maureen Reagan,Christine Reagan
- He landed a job as host of the weekly television drama series The General Electric Theater, in 1954.
- He stepped into the national political spotlight in 1964, when he gave a well-received televised speech for Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, a prominent conservative.
- Two years later, in his first race for public office, Reagan defeated Democratic incumbent Edmund "Pat" Brown Sr. by almost 1 million votes, winning the California governorship.
- At age 69, Reagan was the oldest person elected to the U.S. presidency.
- On March 30, 1981, he was shot in the lung and nearly missed his heart .
- He revealed in a handwritten letter to the American people that he had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
- He died at his Los Angeles home at age 93, making him the nation's longest-lived president at that time.