Rise to power

Oct 13, 1925

Margaret Hilda Roberts born in Grantham, eastern England.

Dec 13, 1951

Marries businessman Denis Thatcher.

Aug 15, 1953

Birth of twin children Carol and Mark.

Oct 8, 1959

Thatcher elected Conservative member of Parliament for Finchley, north London.

Oct 15, 1964

Re-elected despite Labour Party victory; becomes opposition spokeswoman on pensions, then housing, treasury (deputy to finance spokesman), energy, transport and education.

June 19, 1970

Conservatives regain power; Thatcher appointed education and science secretary.

Feb 11, 1975

Thatcher elected Conservative leader after party enters opposition.

May 3, 1979

Conservatives in election landslide victory after financial and social problems of Labour government; Thatcher becomes Britain's first female prime minister.

In Office

April 2, 1982

War breaks out between Britain and Argentina over the Malvinas Islands, known as the Falkland Islands in the UK. Thatcher sends troops and ships to the islands.

June 9, 1983

Thatcher leads Conservatives to re-election.

March 12, 1984

Coal miners' strike begins in northern England; drags on for a year before miners accept sweeping pit closures.

Oct 12, 1984

Irish Republican Army bombs Thatcher's hotel at Conservative annual conference in Brighton, southern England; she escapes injury but five others killed.

Dec 16, 1984

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meets Thatcher; afterwards she calls him a man she "can do business with".

Dec 19, 1984

Thatcher signs joint declaration to return Hong Kong to China in July 1997.

June 11, 1987

Thatcher leads Conservatives to third straight term in office.

Nov 28, 1990

Resigns after revolt among Conservatives.

Post-politics

June 30, 1992

Takes her place in the upper House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven.

Feb 5, 1994

Becomes chancellor of College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

May 1997

Endorses William Hague as he becomes new Conservative leader.

March 26, 1999

Pays controversial visit to right-wing former Chilean president Augusto Pinochet.

June 26, 2003

Husband Denis dies.

June 11, 2004

Attends funeral in Washington for former US president Ronald Reagan.

Oct 13, 2005

Celebrates 80th birthday with party at chic London hotel with Queen Elizabeth among the guests.

Oct 14, 2010

Misses her 85th birthday party at Downing Street with flu before being admitted to a hospital with infection.

December 20, 2012

Admitted to a hospital after procedure to remove growth from her bladder.

April 8, 2013

Dies aged 87 after a stroke.

AFP

(China Daily 04/09/2013 page12)