Ronald Reagan (1911 – 2004) was an American actor and the 40th President of the United States. Some of his most notable films include Knute Rockne: All American (1940), King’s Row (1942), and Bedtime for Bonzo (1951). Prior to his presidency, he served as Governor of California. On May 15, 1969, during the People’s Park Protests at UC Berkeley, Reagan sent the California Highway Patrol and other officers to brutally suppress the protests, in an incident that became known as "Bloody Thursday", resulting in the death of student James Rector. As president, Reagan's cut the budget for public housing, Medicaid, food stamps, federal education programs, while increasing defense spending by 40 percent. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 reduced the tax rate of the wealthiest Americans, and raised taxes for the poorest Americans. Meanwhile, he granted amnesty to approximately three million undocumented immigrants. The Iran Contra scandal, which involved covert arms sales to Iran to fund military activity in Nicaragua, happened during the Reagan Administration. The International Court of Justice ruled that the United States had violated international law and breached treaties in Nicaragua in various ways. The scandal resulted in fourteen indictments within Reagan's staff, and eleven convictions.
