In remembrance of Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013); notable dates and achievements of the “Iron Lady”

Yesterday, at 11:52am, the death of the former and first woman Prime Minister in the history of the Great Britain, Baroness Margaret Thatcher was announced. She died at the age of 87.

There are some important dates and events that need to be known in the life of the late legend. These dates are as follows;

1925 – Margaret Thatcher was born (born as Margaret Roberts) on the 13th of October.

1947 – She graduated from Oxford University with Second Class Honours in Chemistry with a Bachelor of Science degree.

1951 (February) – She met Denis Thatcher, a successful and wealthy divorced businessman, who later became her husband until his death in 2003.

1951 (December) – Margaret Roberts married Denis Thatcher.

1953 – She qualified as a barrister after studies for the bar. Her specialization was taxation. In the same year, she gave birth to her twins, Carol and Mark.

1959 – She was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1959 election.

1970 – She was appointed secretary of state for Education and Science under Edward Heath’s administration after the Conservation Party won the election.

1975 – After the Labour Party won the 1974 general elections, Margaret Thatcher challenged Edward Heath for the leadership of the Conservative Party. She won on first ballot and Heath resigned leadership of the Party. She defeated Heath’s preferred successor, William Whitelaw in the second ballot and became the party leader on 11th of February, 1975. Thus, Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to be the leader of an opposition party in the United Kingdom. She appointed William Whitelaw as her deputy.

1976 – She was dubbed “Iron Lady” by a Russian newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) after her quotes about Russia trying to dominate the world at all cost.

1979 – After the postponement of elections from 1978 to 1979, coupled with series of strikes during the winter of 1978-79, a general election was called after the then Prime Minister, James Callaghan lost a motion of no confidence in early 1979.

The conservatives won a 44-seat majority in the House of Commons, and Margaret Thatcher became the Great Britain’s first female Prime Minister. She became the Prime Minister on the 4th of May, 1979, about 34 years ago.

As Prime Minister, Thatcher met with Queen Elizabeth II every week to discuss government matters. It was reported that during Margaret Thatcher’s time in office, she practiced great frugality in her official residence, including insisting on paying for her own ironing-board.

She increased interest rates to slow the growth of the money supply and thereby lower inflation, introduced cash limits on public spending, and reduced expenditure on social services such as education and housing.

It was reported that her cuts in higher education spending resulted in her being the first Oxford-educated post-war Prime Minister not to be awarded an honorary doctorate by Oxford University, after a 738 to 319 vote of the governing assembly and a student petition.

1980 – Thatcher’s job approval rating fell to 23% by December, lower than recorded for any previous Prime Minister.

1982 – The United Kingdom began to experience signs of economic recovery; inflation was down to 8.6% from a high of 18%, but unemployment was over 3 million for the first time since the 1930s.

1983 – Margaret Thatcher was re-elected into the office of the Prime Minister for her second term.

1986 – In April, Thatcher permitted USF-IIIs to use Royal Air Force bases for the bombing of Libya in retaliation for the alleged Libyan bombing of a Berlin discotheque, citing the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Polls suggested that less than one in three British citizens approved of her decision.

1987 – Due to the fall of rate of unemployment, strong and stable economy, low inflation, Margaret Thatcher was re-elected for a third term (!) as the Prime Minister of Great Britain.

1990 – Due to the resignation of the then deputy Prime Minister and also the last remaining member of Thatcher’s original 1979 cabinet, Geoffrey Howe, Michael Heseltine mounted a challenge for the leadership of the Conservative Party the next day.

The Conservatives have been trailing in opinion polls for 18 months and Michael Heseltine was expected to make a change in the fortune of the Conservatives.

Margaret Thatcher after consultation with her cabinet resigned her position as the Prime Minister of Great Britain. She was replaced as Prime Minister and party leader by her chancellor John Major.

1992 – She retired from the House of Commons at the election, in order to allow her more freedom to speak her mind.

2002 – Margaret Thatcher’s book Statecraft: Strategies for a changing World, dedicated to Ronald Reagan, was released in March.

On the 23rd of March, Thatcher stopped her public speaking on advice of her doctors.

2005 – Carol, her daughter, revealed that her mother is struggling from memory loss (dementia).

2007 – Thatcher became the first living British Prime Minister to be honoured with a statue in the Houses of Parliament. It was unveiled on 21 February, 2007 with Thatcher in attendance.

2012 – She underwent an operation to remove a growth from her bladder on 21st December.

2013 – Margaret Thatcher died on 8th April after suffering a stroke at the age of 87.

In accordance to her wishes, Thatcher will not receive a state funeral, but will be honoured by a church service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, where she will be accorded military honours.

May her soul rest in peace.

[Credit: Wikipedia]

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