“America is back standing tall looking to the '80s with courage confidence and hope” said President Ronald Reagan.
January 20, 2006 marked the 25th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan first being sworn in as the 40th President of the United States. At age 69, he became the oldest man elected president and the he would soon turn 70 as his first term in office began.
That same year also closed one of the most inclement chapters in American history for incumbent President Jimmy Carter – the Iran Hostage Crisis.
On November 4, 1979, hundreds of Iranian students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding 52 Americans hostage who were stationed there. The students were influenced by their leader, Ayatollah Khomeini.
The Shah of Iran, whose family had ruled the country for decades, was overthrown in a popular revolution. After the Shah was allowed to enter the United States for medical reasons, the anger exploded. The people of Iran ordered that the Shah return to Iran as a condition for the hostages' release. After that demand was denied by President Jimmy Carter, a stand-off began that would prevail for 13 months and outlive both Carter’s presidency and the Shah himself.
Two days before leaving office, President Carter spent two immensely insomnious nights trying to free the hostages. President Carter told President-Elect Reagan at 8:31 a.m. on January 20 that the hostages had just been released from Iran. But they had yet to leave the Iranian airport. President Reagan had the pleasure of announcing at 2:15 p.m. that the hostages were departing Iran and would return home later that day.
With the release of the hostages, President Reagan began writing the next chapter of American history.(Back to top)
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