Milestones in the life and career of Britain’s former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Oct. 13, 1925: Born in Grantham, central England.
June 1947: Graduates from Oxford with chemistry degree.
Dec. 13, 1951: Marries wealthy oil executive Denis Thatcher.
Aug. 15, 1953: Gives birth to twins, Mark and Carol.
June 1, 1954: Qualifies as lawyer.
Oct. 8, 1959: Elected to Parliament.
June 20, 1970: Becomes education secretary.
Feb. 11, 1975: Elected leader of Conservative Party.
May 3, 1979: Wins national elections, becomes Europe’s first female prime minister.
March 1, 1981: Refuses to concede demands of Irish Republican Army convicts for prisoner-of-war status in Northern Ireland, inspiring a hunger strike. Ten inmates starve to death over following seven months.
Sept. 14, 1981: Dumps or reassigns most of her moderate ministers in Cabinet reshuffle.
April 2, 1982: Argentina invades Falkland Islands, a British territory in the South Atlantic. Thatcher sends a naval task force that recovers the islands after a 74-day war.
June 9, 1983: Wins second term.
Oct. 12, 1984: Survives IRA assassination bid after time bomb explodes near her room in hotel hosting Conservative Party conference. Five others killed, 32 wounded.
Dec. 15, 1984: Becomes first Western leader to meet Mikhail Gorbachev as he visits London prior to becoming Soviet Union’s leader.