This Day in History: 8 April 2020
8 April 2013
7 years ago, today, Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, died from a stroke, at age 87. Her term lasted from 1979 to 1990, making her the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century. During her time in power, she privatised state-owned industries, led her country to victory in the Falklands War and acted as a close ally to US President Ronald Raegan, thus playing a key part in ending the Cold War. Thatcher was gifted with the nickname of 'The Iron Lady' by the public, as she championed conservative policies that revitalised Britain's economy. However, critics argue that these changes did hurt the nation's lower classes.
In 1992, after she had resigned as Prime Minister, she left the House of Commons, and was appointed to the House of Lords, receiving the title 'Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven'. She began to record her memoirs and give lectures around the world. Sadly, following a series of minor strokes in the early 2000s, Thatcher greatly stepped away from public view. After her death, on this day, more than 2,000 guests from all over the world attended her funeral, held at London's St. Paul's Cathedral. In 1965, this was the site of Prime Minister Winston Churchill's funeral. Despite this, several hundreds of people celebrated Thatcher's death on the streets, with cans of beer, pints of milk, and disco music.
Want to find out more about the life and legacy of Margaret Thatcher? Click here for more information. Click here for more details on the celebrations that took place after her death.
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