Ronald Reagan

Did you know a movie star became President and helped change the world? Meet Ronald Reagan. Born in 1911, he was a movie and radio actor, later Governor of California, and then the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. For this short talk we’ll focus on the single most important thing he did as president: his leadership during the late Cold War.

As president in the 1980s, Reagan took a strong stand against the Soviet Union. He used speeches, increased defense spending, and firm language to pressure leaders in Moscow. He also opened talks with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev; together they signed the 1987 INF Treaty to remove an entire class of nuclear missiles - a major step toward making the world safer.

Reagan also changed life at home with ideas called "Reaganomics" that pushed tax cuts and fewer government rules. He appointed judges who shaped the law for years, and he survived an assassination attempt in 1981 and returned to work. He was known for a warm smile, friendly manner, and a way with stories that helped people listen. People remember him as a movie star who became a world leader and helped move the world past decades of Cold War fear.