Here are some facts about Margaret Thatcher, the first female British Prime Minister.
- Margaret Thatcher was born on 13th October 1925 in Grantham, Lincolnshire (England).
- She studied chemistry at university and then she became a barrister, passing the bar exam in 1953.
- She became a Member of Parliament for Finchley in 1959, became leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, and she was elected Prime Minister in 1979.
- Margaret Thatcher had very strong political views. She believed in deregulation, the privatisation of state owned companies and capping the power of trade unions. She put great emphasis on the rights of the individual and believed in free market economics. Her brand of conservatism was known as Thatcherism.
- In 1982, Margaret Thatcher responded to the invasion of the Falkland Island (a Bristish dependant territory) by Argentina. The Falklands War started on 2nd April 1982 and lasted 74 days.
- Margaret Thatcher was re-elected as Prime Minister in 1983 and again in 1987.
- She was forced to resign in 1990 following a leadership challenge by Micheal Heseltine and other key Conservative MPs.
- She went on to serve as a life peer (as Baroness Thatcher) in the House of Lords.
- She had several nicknames during her political career. She was known as the Iron Lady because of her unbending political views and tought leadership style. She was sometimes referred to as Thatcher the Milk Snatcher following her decision to stop providing free milk to schoolchildren.
- Margeret Thatcher died of a stroke on 8th April 2013. She was 87.
Bonus Facts About Margaret Thatcher
- She could function on very little sleep. On weekdays, she only slept for 4 hours per night.
- Her favourite colour was turquoise.
- She was a very close friend of US President Ronald Reagan. Her political views were very similar to Reagan’s.
- Margaret thatcher enjoyed watching tennis and she liked listening to Bach, Chopin and Beethoven.
- Her father was called Alfred and her mother was Beatrice. They owned a grocers.
- Margaret Thatcher married Denis Thatcher on 13th December 1951. They had two children, Mark and Carol.
