Shortly after midnight on the morning of April 2, 1982, a detachment of Argentine commandos landed on the Falkland Islands, a South Atlantic archipelago a few hundred miles off the country’s southern coast, and moved overland toward the settlement’s capital, Port Stanley. A few hours later, a larger landing force began unloading troops in Stanley harbor. By 8.30 a.m., with 800 Argentine troops ashore and 2,000 more about to join them, the islands’ British-appointed governor recognized the futility of resistance by the small garrison of Royal Marines at his disposal and agreed to surrender.

Not until 4 p.m. local time did confirmation reach London, more than 8,000 miles away. For much of the British public, the news