Interesting Facts About Ronald Reagan
There are many interesting facts about Ronald Reagan and not the least of which is that he had a nick name of "Dutch". The nick name apparently resulted as a desire of Ronald Reagan himself because he thought that Ronald wasn't rugged enough for a young red-blooded American boy. The nick name 'Dutch' apparently was partly the result of his father who, on seeing his newborn son, compared him to a 'fat little Dutchman'.
As some people know, he was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, but most don't know that he lived above the local bank in a flat. His father came to America as a result of the potato famine in Ireland. His mother, on the other hand, was of Scots-English ancestry and met Ronald's father, John, in Illinois and were mariied in Fulton, Illinois.
Ronald Reagan became the 40th President of the United States in 1981, and, served for two terms in the Whitehouse until 1989.
Before Ronald Reagan became President, did you know that he was also in radio, and was an actor? Personally, when Mr. Reagan became President, I was somewhat skeptical about his ability to lead the United States. However, my skeptism soon faded.
Did you also know that Mr. Reagan appeared in 53 films? You may not have known the exact number, but most people new him more as an actor than as a radio sports announcer. It appears, however, that he used his radio position as a way to get to Hollywood because he was able to offer his radio background to the team which had their annual spring training camp in California. Reagan managed to get a screen test before he had to leave to return to Des Moines to broadcast the Cub's game. As the story goes, he received a telgram less than forty-eight hours after his return from the first agent he had been introduced to and who got him the screen test, saying that Warners were offerring him a seven year contract, with a one year option, with a starting salary of $200 a week. And, if you guessed he took the offer you'd be right but did you know how he signed the return telegram? He signed it 'Dutch Reagan'.
In the first week of June, 1937, Ronald 'Dutch' Reagan arrived at Warner Brothers lot in Burbank to begin his long career by playing a radio announcer in a movie called 'Inside Story', later renamed 'Love Is on the Air" before it was released some four months later. And, like a lot of 'B' movies, it took only three weeks to film.
One interesting fact about Reagan is that he wasn't originally supportive of the actor's union he was forced to join. However, having changed his opinion because of how supporting actors were treated, he was appointed to the Screen Actor's Guild board of directors, and not because he volunteered either.
You may have heard the term, "Win one for the Gipper", but do you know how this phrase came to be associated with Ronald Regan? It was because he managed to convince the studio to give him the role of George Gipp in the movie 'Knute Rockne-All American'. One of his most emotional lines in the movie, as he played George Gipp, were spoken just before the Gipp dies and said, "Some day when things are tough and the breaks are going against the boys, ask them to go in there and win one for the Gipper." This phrase stuck with Ronald Reagan for years to come.
Ronald Reagan served in World War II even though he had poor eyesight. He left with the rank of Captain.
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