February 6th: Ronald Reagan

Former US President Ronald Reagan was born on this date in 1911. Here are some things you might not know about him:

1. Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois to John Edward Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan. He had an older brother called Neil.
2. The family were working class, and couldn't afford to send Ronald to college. His pastor at church encouraged him to try to get into Eureka College, and when Reagan's girlfriend of the time decided to go there, he decided to follow her. He drove here there to enrol, then went to the President’s office to ask for a Needy Student Scholarship. The college President was so impressed with him that not only did he get a scholarship, but a job serving in the dining hall so he'd have money to buy food as well. His major was in economics and sociology.
3. He certainly threw himself into extra-curricular activities as a young man. He was captain of the swim team, the yearbook editor, the president of the student body, a member of the football team, a member of the track team, and a member of the basketball cheerleading squad. He also worked as a lifeguard at Rock River near Dixon during which time he saved 77 lives.
4. His first job after leaving university was as a sports announcer on an Iowa radio station.
5. As a film actor, his first screen credit was the starring role in the 1937 film Love Is on the Air. He made 53 films altogether. His last screen role was in The Killers in 1964 and was the only time he ever played a villain in a movie.
6. In 1937, Reagan enlisted in the Army Enlisted Reserve and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. In 1942 he was called up for active duty in World War II and put his acting career on hold. He never served overseas because he had poor eyesight. He was also partially deaf in one ear after an accident on set where a gun went off too near his ear. He stayed in the USA and helped to film and produce over 400 training films for the Army Air Force.
7. In terms of politics, he was actually a Democrat for the first fifty years of his life, but decided in 1962 that his views were more aligned with the Republican Party. When asked why he was leaving the Democrats, he replied, "I didn’t leave the Democratic party, the Democratic Party left me."
8. He was the first President to have been divorced. He'd been married to actress Jane Wyman from 1940 to 1949 until she filed for divorce because he was spending too much time working for the Screen Actors Guild. He was elected President of the Guild twice, and worked to root out Communist influence in showbusiness. It was through this that he met his second wife and future First Lady, Nancy Davis. She got in touch with him because her name had mistakenly been put on the Communist blacklist due to confusion with another actress with a similar name.
9. He liked Liquorice flavour Jelly beans which he'd developed a taste for whilst giving up smoking. He didn't like Brussels sprouts or tomatoes.
10. He died from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 93.

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