Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher was the first woman ever to become British Prime Minister as well as the first woman to head a European government. She was born on October 13, 1925. Her birth name was Margaret Hilda Roberts. Her father Alfred Roberts was a grocer and local alderman who later became the mayor of Grantham.

Margaret Thatcher graduated from Oxford University in 1947 with a chemistry degree. She worked as a food scientist developing soft-serve ice cream before getting active into politics.

Quick Facts: –

• Margaret Thatcher still remains a controversial figure, even after death.
• Being known for her personal and political toughness, she got the nickname ‘Iron Lady’.
• She ran for Parliament in 1950 for the very first time but was unsuccessful.
• She was the youngest candidate to stand for a seat in the House of Commons being only 24 years old.
• In 1959, Thatcher won a seat in the House of Commons with a seat in Finchley, in north London.
• She was the longest-serving prime minister of the United Kingdom of the 20th century.
• In the Falkland Islands, Margaret Thatcher Day is celebrated every year on Jan 10th. It is not a public holiday.
• From 1961 to 1964, she served as a parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance.
• In 1991, Thatcher received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George H.W. Bush.
• In 2008, her daughter confirms that Thatcher is suffering from dementia, first noticed in 2000.
• On April 8, 2013 she suffered a stroke which caused her death.