John Hinckley Jr.
His 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan reshaped American politics, security protocols, and the national debate on mental illness.
Born 1955 (age 71)·Attempted assassin of Ronald Reagan·Birthday: May 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
John Hinckley Jr. emerged from an unremarkable suburban childhood into a vortex of obsession and delusion, fixating on the film 'Taxi Driver' and its teenage character Iris, played by Jodie Foster. His attempt to impress Foster by assassinating President Reagan on March 30, 1981, outside a Washington hotel, wounded the president and three others, including Press Secretary James Brady, who suffered lifelong disability. The event triggered massive changes in Secret Service procedures and catapulted the 'insanity defense' into public consciousness. Found not guilty by reason of insanity, Hinckley spent over three decades in a psychiatric hospital, a living symbol of the intersection between violence, fame, and mental health. His eventual release in 2016, following court-mandated evaluations, marked a controversial end to a case that permanently altered the American legal and political landscape.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
John was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When John Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
John's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981, wounding the president and three others.
- His use of the insanity defense led to a landmark verdict of 'not guilty by reason of insanity' in 1982.
- His case directly influenced the passage of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act in 1993.
- His prolonged institutionalization and eventual release in 2016 sparked ongoing debate about mental health and the justice system.
Did You Know?
He developed an obsessive fixation on actress Jodie Foster after seeing the film 'Taxi Driver' multiple times.
He wrote numerous letters to Foster prior to the assassination attempt, which were entered as evidence in his trial.
He was a member of the American Nazi Party for a brief period in his youth.
He released an album of folk music in 2010 while still at St. Elizabeths Hospital.
“I am not a political person; I did it entirely to impress Jodie Foster.”
