United States
On January 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th U.S. President. Minutes after his inauguration, the 52 American hostages held in Iran were released, effectively ending the 444-day Iran hostage crisis. The timing carried symbolic weight, viewed by many as the resolution coinciding with a new administration. The release followed the Algiers Accords, negotiated under President Carter’s outgoing administration but implemented as Reagan assumed office. The event shaped early perception of Reagan’s presidency and reasserted U.S. diplomacy in crisis resolution.
