Ronald Reagan was known to joke frequently during his lifetime, displayed humor throughout his presidency. His numerous jokes and one-liners have been labeled classic and legendary.

Among the most notable of his jokes was one regarding the Cold War. As a microphone test in preparation for his weekly radio address in August 1984, he made the following joke:

My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you today that I have signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.

Ronald Reagan had an unabated and passionate love for the United States which restored faith in the American Dream, after a decline in American confidence and self-respect.

He is responsible for a peaceful end to the Cold War, and a restoration of American pride and morale.

Despite the continuing debate surrounding his legacy, many conservative and liberal scholars agree that Ronald Reagan has been the most influential president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

He left his imprint on American politics, diplomacy, culture, and economics through his most effective communication and pragmatic compromising.

I was not a great communicator, but I communicated great things.

On March 30, 1981 (shortly into his new administration), Reagan, his press secretary James Brady, Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy were struck by gunfire from would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton hotel.

Although ‘close to death’ upon arrival at George Washington University Hospital, Reagan was stabilized in the emergency room, then underwent emergency exploratory surgery.

He recovered and was released from the hospital on April 11, becoming the first serving U.S. president to survive being shot in an assassination attempt.

The assassination attempt. had great influence on Reagan’s popularity; polls indicated his approval rating to be around 73%. Reagan believed that God had spared his life so that he might go on to fulfill a greater purpose.