Meet the Author
Ronald Reagan
American · 1911–2004 · 40th President of the United States
Portrait: Michael Evans, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A former radio announcer and film actor who became the 40th president and was known for speeches that sounded like conversation.
1 StoryBites Edition1 Speech or essay
Why read Ronald Reagan?
Reagan’s address after the Challenger disaster replaced the State of the Union speech he had planned to give that night. It speaks to the grieving families, to the schoolchildren who watched the launch, and to the nation, then closes with lines from John Gillespie Magee’s poem ‘High Flight.’ Read it as a model of a short speech of mourning that still looks forward.
A life in six dates
- 1911Born in Tampico, Illinois
- 1932Graduates from Eureka College and starts work as a radio announcer
- 1937Signs a film contract with Warner Bros.
- 1967Becomes governor of California
- 1981Inaugurated as the 40th president
- 1986Addresses the nation after the Challenger disaster
- 2004Dies in Los Angeles
Themes across the work
The StoryBites Editions
Context that actually matters
The Challenger disasterOn January 28, 1986, the space shuttle broke apart 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven crew members.
Christa McAuliffeA New Hampshire teacher chosen to be the first teacher in space was among the crew, so many students watched the launch live.
Presidential speechwritingPeggy Noonan drafted the address, and Reagan’s delivery drew on his years in radio and film.