Born Feb. 6, 1911, former President Ronald Reagan would have turned 108 years old Wednesday.
The 40th president of the United States served in the White House from 1981-1989, during a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and Soviet Union. Before Donald Trump’s election in 2016, Reagan was the oldest person ever elected to the office at the age of 69. (RELATED: Tom Brady’s ‘Reagan’ Play Call Sends Twitter Into A Politically Charged Frenzy)
Reagan was elected twice in unprecedented landslides. He first won 44 states over incumbent President Jimmy Carter in 1980, then went on to win 49 states against former Vice President Walter Mondale in 1984, losing only Mondale’s home state of Minnesota.
US President and Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy wave to supporters at an electoral meeting in November 1984, a few days before the American presidential election. DON RYPKA/AFP/Getty Images
Long before Reagan entered politics, Reagan spent decades as an actor, most notably playing George Gip—or “The Gipper”—in the 1940 film “Knute Rockne, All American.”
“The Gipper” became a nickname for Reagan, and “Win one for the Gipper” became a catchphrase for the Republican Party.
As president, Reagan was best known for cutting taxes at home and dealing a crushing blow to Communism abroad. His call for Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall in 1987 is considered one of the most legendary political speeches of the 20th century.
Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years after leaving office, and ultimately passed away at the age of 93 in 2004. His wife, Nancy, passed away in 2016 at the age 94.
Their legacies still continue to influence the Republican Party and the nation today. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quoted Reagan in her acceptance speech last month. In a hyper-partisan age, Reagan is widely considered to be one of the rare former presidents that is widely respected on both sides of the aisle.
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