James Earl Carter Jr - better known as our 39th President Jimmy Carter - was born on October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia. He ultimately chose a political career even though neither of his parents were politicians. His mother Lillian was a nurse and his father, James Earl Carter Sr., was a businessman and farmer. He attended college in Georgia and then enrolled at the United States Naval Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. Carter enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to submarines in the Pacific and Atlantic. Eventually, Carter studied nuclear physics at Union College to prepare for the Navy's nuclear submarine program. Carter married Rosalynn Smith in 1946 and took over the family farm after her father's death; where he became an important figure in the Plains, Georgia community and decided to run for State Senate. Carter won the 1962 state Senate election and the 1971 gubernatorial election, making his first move into politics. He was nominated for president by the 1975 Democratic Convention and was elected on November 2 (Hochman). Carter did many things during his presidency that helped America as well as its diplomatic relations. He returned the Panama Canal to Panama, created the ministries of education and energy, reformed health care, participated in strategic arms limitation talks to help promote peace with Russia, and began a diplomacy with China (Macaray). However, Carter goes down in the history books for his role in rescuing 52 American citizens during the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979. The political unrest that led to the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979 began the previous year when the reign of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi transformed into a quasi-dictatorship. . He used a se...... middle of paper ......Apr. 2014. “Highlights on the Iran Hostage Crisis.” CNN. Cable News Network, January 1, 1970. Web. April 18, 2014. Macaray, David. “10 Good Things President Carter Did.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, September 1, 2011. Web. April 19, 2014. “Search Videos.” Jimmy Carter's speech on the Iran hostage crisis. Np, and Web. April 19. 2014.