Editing Juan Manuel Fangio (section)

==Early life==
Fangio's grandfather, Giuseppe Fangio, emigrated to Buenos Aires from Italy in 1887. Giuseppe was able to buy his own farm near [[Balcarce, Buenos Aires|Balcarce]], a small town near [[Mar del Plata]] in southern [[Buenos Aires Province]], Argentina, within three years by making [[charcoal]] from tree branches. Giuseppe brought his family, with his 7-year son Loreto, later the racing driver's father, to Argentina from the small central Italian town of [[Castiglione Messer Marino]] in the [[Chieti]] province of the [[Abruzzo]] region. His mother, Herminia Déramo, was from [[Tornareccio]], slightly to the north. Fangio's parents married on 24 October 1903 and lived on farms, where Herminia was a housekeeper and Loreto worked in the building trade, becoming an apprentice stonemason.{{sfn|Donaldson|2003|p=7-8}}

Fangio was born in Balcarce on 24 June 1911, [[Nativity of St. John the Baptist|San Juan's Day]], at 12:10&nbsp;am.<ref name=obituaries>{{cite web |url=http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/hall-of-fame/juan-manuel-fangio/ |title=F1 Fanatics: Juan Manuel Fangio |publisher=F1fanatics.wordpress.com |date=31 January 2011 |access-date=20 March 2011 |archive-date=19 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719104958/http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/hall-of-fame/juan-manuel-fangio/ |url-status=live }}</ref> His birth certificate was mistakenly dated 23 June in the Register of Balcarce.<ref name=earlylife>{{cite web|url=https://www.museofangio.com/en/juan-manuel-fangio/biography/1-primera-parte-1911-1936/|title=Biography -First Part 1911-1936|website=Museo Fangio|access-date=4 November 2019|archive-date=4 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104144251/https://www.museofangio.com/en/juan-manuel-fangio/biography/1-primera-parte-1911-1936/|url-status=live}}</ref> He was the fourth of six children.<ref name=tribute>{{cite news|last=Tremayne|first=David|title=Obituaries: Juan Manuel Fangio|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-juan-manuel-fangio-1591999.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=18 July 1995|access-date=4 December 2017|archive-date=26 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426102222/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-juan-manuel-fangio-1591999.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In his childhood he became known as ''El Chueco'', the bandy-legged one, for his skill in bending his left leg around the ball to shoot on goal in [[Association football|football]] games.<ref name=tribute />

[[File:Fangio2.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Fangio as a child when he took his Roman Catholic [[First Communion]], {{circa}} 1920]]

Fangio started his education at School No. 4 of Balcarce, before transferring to School No. 1 and 18 Uriburu Av.<ref name=earlylife /> When Fangio was 13, he dropped out of school and worked in Miguel Angel Casas auto mechanics' workshop as an assistant mechanic.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} When he was 16, he started riding as a mechanic for his employer's customers. He developed pneumonia that almost proved fatal,{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} after a football game where hard running had caused a sharp pain in his chest. He was bed-ridden for two months, cared for by his mother.{{sfn|Donaldson|2003|p=14-15}}

After recovering, Fangio served compulsory military service at the age of 21. In 1932 he was enlisted at the Campo de Mayo cadet school near Buenos Aires. His driving skills caught the attention of his commanding officer, who appointed Fangio as his official driver. Fangio was discharged before his 22nd birthday, after taking his final physical examination. He returned to Balcarce where he aimed to further his football career. Along with his friend José Duffard he received offers to play at a club based in [[Mar del Plata]]. Their teammates at Balcarce suggested the two work on Fangio's hobby of building his own car, and his parents gave him space to do so in a rudimentary shed at the family home.{{sfn|Donaldson|2003|p=14-15}}