The Falklands War was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial dependency, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The conflict began on 2 April 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands, followed by the invasion of South Georgia the next day. On 5 April the British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with an Argentine surrender on 14 June, returning the islands to British control. In total, 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel and three Falkland Islanders were killed during the hostilities.
Falklands War: HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano (pictured), the only ship ever to have been deliberately sunk by a nuclear submarine in battle.
On May 2, in the year 1982, Falklands War: HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano (pictured), the only ship ever to have been deliberately sunk by a nuclear submarine in battle. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of May 2, one of 377 recorded events on this date across all of history.
Key Facts
- This event took place on May 2, 1982 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 1 May 2026.
On This Date in History 377
This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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