Fun Presidential Facts – Ronald Reagan

Here are some quick facts, opinions, quotes and other information on President Ronald Reagan:

Personal Information on Ronald Reagan:

Fortieth President (1933-1945)

Birthday: February 6, 1911 (Monday)
Birthplace: Tampico, Illinois
Birthplace Website: President Ronald Reagan’s Birthplace
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Date of Death: June 5, 2004 (Saturday)
Place of Death: Los Angeles, California
Place of Burial: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California
Cause of Death: Alzheimer’s disease, pneumonia
Age: 93 years old
Length of Retirement: 5615 days
Burial website: Ronald Reagan’s Grave
Presidential Library: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

Interesting Ronald Reagan facts:

In 1981, PATCO (Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization) members went on strike. President Reagan gave them 48 hours to report back to work. He stated that federal law prohibited government unions from going on strike. When the 48 hours was up and they did not return to work, he fired all 11,345 of them. He had supervisors and military controllers take their place until new controllers could be hired and trained. Ironically, when Ronald Reagan was an actor he joined a union in 1941. It was the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He became its Vice President in 1946. He then went on to be the President of SAG from 1947 to 1957 and again in 1959.
Ronald Reagan was the first divorced man to become President. President Trump is the only other President to be divorced (he has been divorced twice). Five other Presidents remarried after their wives died. They were: John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson.
6-6-6: Ronald Wilson Reagan is the only President to have six letters in each of his names.

My favorite Ronald Reagan Quotes:

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.

Well, let me tell you something; I knew Thomas Jefferson. He was a friend of mine and Governor… You’re no Thomas Jefferson!

Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.

We should measure welfare’s success by how many people leave welfare, not how many are added.

It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.

The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.

Ronald Reagan blogs (click the title to go to that page):

Ronald Reagan page on Presidential Crossroads (click “Ronald Reagan” below):

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan Blogs:

Alzheimer’s Disease and His Daughter Patti

The Presidential Dream Team

Iran – Contra

His Wife, Nancy’s Cancer

Assassination Attempt – The GWH Bush Connection

His Parents, His Kids

Eureka College Football Discrimination

Ten Biggest Presidential Personalities

Personal thoughts on Ronald Reagan:

Strengths:

Charisma, Love of America, Confident, Compassionate

Weaknesses:

Sometimes delegated without checking up on those under him, Wife’s influence

Presidential Greatness Scale (1-poor to 5-great): 4

Comments:

One of the great things about opinions is that everyone has one. If I had to pick my favorite President, it would be Ronald Reagan. I don’t believe he was the greatest President, but he is my favorite President. Some of my earliest memories were of how broken apart we were as a nation in the 1960s and the 1970s. We had Vietnam, violent racial protest, college student protest, gas shortages, Nixon and Agnew resigning, and Ford pardoning Nixon. To top it all off our economy was in shambles and our military was falling apart. We were at each others throats (sound familiar?). I entered the work force when Carter was President and interest rates, unemployment rates and inflation were out of control. When Reagan became President he seemed to calm us down. He reminded us that we were all Americans and we had a great country. He made us believe in ourselves again and I believe we became a better, more civil nation under his terms. Reagan wasn’t without his faults, though. In the Iran-Contra affair (see the blog above), although he took responsibility as the “boss,” he seemed to blame others for taking actions that he never approved. In most of his words he seems to hint at the idea that the actual idea wasn’t that bad, but having power hungry lower associates making those kind of decisions was unacceptable. Personally, I believe the whole idea was wrong.

Favorite Ronald Reagan book:

The Long Goodbye by Patti Davis

Favorite Ronald Reagan story:

I went to Washington DC to see Reagan’s funeral procession. There were so many people lining the streets. When his casket came by, I was just amazed at, despite the size of the crowd, how quiet it was. You could hear the horse’s hooves as it slowly went down the street. Going back to the subway, the hustle, bustle and rudeness of a regular day seemed to have been replaced by silence. Everyone was quiet, somber, and very polite.

Most memorable Ronald Reagan memory:

Visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

Favorite Ronald Reagan possession (see picture at the top):

The framed picture (with the stamp and First Day Cover) I have of him just above my computer.