Five Stories About Ronald Reagan

Before he was the 40th President of the United States and shaped a generation of conservative politics, Ronald Reagan was something Hollywood had never quite seen before—and something Washington wasn't ready for.

Let me tell you five stories that capture who Reagan really was.

FACT ONE: THE LIFEGUARD

Picture this: It's the 1920s, and a teenage boy is working as a lifeguard at Lowell Park in Illinois.
Over seven summers, young Ronald Reagan would save 77 people from drowning in the Rock River.
Seventy-seven lives. He kept a log, carving a notch in a wooden plank for each rescue. Some people
questioned if the number was real—until locals confirmed it, remembering how the confident
young man would dive in without hesitation.

That instinct to be the rescuer? It never left him.

FACT TWO: THE ACTOR WHO ALMOST WASN'T

Reagan's Hollywood career nearly ended before it began—and it had nothing to do with his talent. When he arrived for his screen test at Warner Brothers, the executives loved him. There was just one problem: they thought his name sounded too much like "Donald Regan." So they told him he needed a stage name.

Reagan refused. He said if they wanted him, they'd take him as Ronald Reagan.

They blinked first. And "Dutch" Reagan became a movie star on his own terms.

FACT THREE: THE SPEECH THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

October 27th, 1964. Reagan wasn't even in politics yet. He delivered a televised speech supporting Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign. "A Time for Choosing," it was called. Goldwater lost badly—but Reagan's political career was born that night. The speech was so powerful that Republican donors immediately started asking: who IS this guy?

Two years later, Reagan was Governor of California. Fourteen years later, he was President.

One speech. That's all it took.

FACT FOUR: THE LETTER WRITER

Here's something most people don't know: Reagan wrote thousands of personal letters by hand throughout his presidency. Not form letters—real, thoughtful responses to everyday Americans. A child worried about nuclear war. A family struggling with illness. He'd stay up late in the White House residence, writing in his distinctive cursive.

His staff sometimes found this frustrating—there were more important things to do, they'd say. But Reagan believed differently. To him, these weren't distractions from the job. They WERE the job.

FACT FIVE: THIRTEEN SECONDS

March 30th, 1981. Just 69 days into his presidency, Reagan was shot outside the Washington Hilton. A bullet punctured his lung, stopping an inch from his heart. As Secret Service rushed him to the hospital, Reagan was literally drowning in his own blood.

But here's what people remember: He walked into the emergency room on his own feet. He joked with the surgeons, "I hope you're all Republicans." And when Nancy arrived, terrified, he looked at her and quoted an old Jack Dempsey line: "Honey, I forgot to duck."

The assassination attempt could have defined his presidency as a tragedy. Instead, Reagan's grace under pressure—his humor in the face of death—became legendary. Thirteen seconds of gunfire, and America fell in love with his courage.

Five facts. Five stories. And together, they paint a picture of a man who understood something fundamental: Whether you're saving swimmers, facing down Hollywood executives, or taking a bullet—it's not what happens to you that matters.

It's how you respond.

That was Ronald Reagan, the man who became the 40th President of The United States of America.