Before Hollywood, before California, before the White House, a teenage Ronald Reagan spent seven summers in a red swimsuit on the Rock River in Dixon, Illinois. He kept a private tally of one particular accomplishment. What was he counting? Touchdowns he called from the radio booth People he pulled from the water as a lifeguard Movie auditions he'd been rejected from Speeches he'd given at the county fair None In the 1930s, a young announcer named "Dutch" was the voice of Chicago Cubs baseball on an Iowa radio station — except he wasn't anywhere near the ballpark. How did he call the games? He watched on an early experimental television A scout phoned him updates from the stands He re-created the action live from terse telegraph reports He simply made up plausible-sounding games None Reagan's movie career gave him a nickname that followed him for the rest of his life — and eventually became a political rallying cry. Which film role gave us "Win one for the Gipper"? The cowboy lead in a Western serial George "The Gipper" Gipp in "Knute Rockne, All American" A wartime fighter pilot A crusading newspaper reporter None The Secret Service assigns every president a code name. Fitting for a man who'd starred in Westerns and loved his California ranch, what was Reagan's? Maverick Rawhide Trailblazer Stagecoach None Reagan kept a jar of Jelly Belly jelly beans on his desk — a habit that started when he quit pipe-smoking. For his 1981 inauguration he asked for a patriotic red, white, and blue spread. There was just one problem. What did the candy company have to do? Ship the beans in an armored truck Invent a brand-new flavor, because no blue jelly bean existed Hand-paint each bean by hand Fly them in from a factory in France None Stumper. Reagan holds a distinction no other U.S. president can claim — one rooted in his Hollywood days, long before politics. What is it? He was the only president who had been a professional athlete He was the only president who had been a licensed pilot He was the only president who had served as a labor union leader He was the only president who had won an Academy Award None Time's up
