A few things you likely didn’t know about Ronald Reagan

Fact: because of his ‘ruddy skin’ Reagan rarely had to have make-up applied during his time as an actor.

He was hard of hearing in the right ear after a gun shot incident during the filming of a movie.

As a kid they called him “Dutch” either because his father said he looked like a little dutch boy or because the popular style of haircut for boys at the time was called “the dutch”.

He’s once foiled a robbery. While working in Des Moines in the 1930’s, he witnessed a young woman being assaulted. He shouted at the would-be-robber “Leave her alone or I’ll shoot you in the shoulders!”. Accounts differ as to whether Ronald even had a gun.

He was married in a cemetery. Ronald and Jane Wyman got married on January 26, 1940, in the Wee Kirk o’ the Heather, one of three wedding chapels located at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale. Then, as now, the cemetery was a popular wedding venue because of its serene atmosphere, beautiful architecture, and well-manicured lawns. Unfortunately their relationship ended up as dead as what was under those manicured lawns.

Reagan wore glasses in high school, but just as he was becoming an actor, contact lenses became available for the first time.

Ronald Reagan’s favorite musical soundtrack was The Sound of Music.

His nickname was “The Gipper” after his role of ‘George Gip’ in the movie Knute Rockne.

His first car was a 1934 Nash Lafayette Coupe.

At fourteen Ronald was hired by a construction contractor to dig ditches ten hours a day, six days a week for a wage of 35 cents per hour. He used that money to save enough for his college tuition which was $200.

The Gipper LOVED jelly-beans, but not initially. He used to eat them to curb smoking and eventually grew fond of them.

He’s saved 77 people from drowning. Starting in 1927, Ronald spent his summers working as a life guard along Dixon’s Rock river. Over the course of 6 summers, Ronald swam out and rescued a total 77 swimmers who were drowning without losing a single one.

In 1964, Reagan was featured in his last film called The Killers. Reagan was the star of many original films over the years but he was predominantly known for his roles in Western films.

And finally, his favorite tree was the sycamore.