In the politics of the United States, an October Surprise is an unexpected event, contrived or unplanned, with the potential to influence the outcome of a November election. October Surprises date back to the 19th Century, but the term entered common parlance in 1980, when President Ronald Reagan, fearing that a last-minute deal to release American hostages held in Iran might earn incumbent Jimmy Carter enough votes to win re-election, allegedly made a secret deal with Iranian leaders to delay the release of the hostages until election day. Reagan won, and on the day of his inauguration—minutes after he concluded his 20-minute inaugural address—the Islamic Republic of Iran announced the release of the hostages. The alleged goal of the deal was stopping Carter from pulling an October Surprise. In short, Reagan beat Carter to the punch. Reagan’s frontman, William Casey, had mentioned the term “October Surprise” to the press more than once.