Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first — and, so far, only — female prime minister, turns 83 today. Having studied chemistry in school, Thatcher started out as a research chemist; within a short time, though, she returned to school to learn to be a barrister and threw her hat into the political ring. In 1959, she became the youngest woman in the House of Commons. She was elected Prime Minister in 1979, as head of Britain's Conservative Party. Elected to three terms in office, Thatcher resigned in 1990, two years after becoming Britain's longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century. She was made a life peer in 1992.
