Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, near Dixon in the northwestern section of the state. He graduated from Eureka College in 1932 and served as a sports announcer before embarking on a successful career in acting.
Reagan served as Governor of California from 1966-1974. In 1980, he gained the Republican nomination for the Presidency of the United States and won a landslide victory over Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter. Re-elected in 1984, Reagan fought strongly against communism and was a major contributor to the end of the Cold War.
One of the more controversial political policies was the Strategic Defense Initiative involving a series of satelites and their capabilities, nicknamed "Star Wars".