1924: Born in Georgia

1946: Graduates from U.S. Naval Academy

1953: Leaves the navy nuclear-powered submarine program to take over the family peanut farm

1963-67: Serves as Georgia state senator

1971-75: Serves as Georgia governor

1977-81: Serves as thirty-ninth U.S. president

1979: Iran takes fifty-two American embassy officials hostage; Soviet Union invades Afghanistan ( United States responds by boycotting 1980 Olympics in Moscow )

1980: Loses presidential election to Ronald Reagan

1982: Founds the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization that promotes human rights, improved public health, and advances in agriculture