28 Facts about Sir Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill

It has been more than half a century since the two-time British Prime Minister (1940-1945 and 1951-1955), Sir Winston Churchill died. From bravely leading Britain and its allies to victory in World War II, Winston Churchill certainly deserves admiration from anyone that vehemently opposes autocratic regimes. Let’s look through the annals of history and find out fun facts about Sir Winston Churchill.

Winston Churchill

One of Winston Churchill’s famous quotes

  1. Winston Churchill’s family roots go back to the powerful dukedom of Marlborough. For generations, the Marlboroughs played an influential role in British politics.
  2. He came top in a reading aloud competition of Thomas Macaulay’s Lays of Ancient Rome (1842).
  3. The first book he wrote was titled “The Story of the Malakand Field Force”. The book was published in 1898 by Longman Publications, and it went on to receive very positive reviews and acclaim.
  4. He started his political career in the Conservative Party. Four years later, he joined the Liberals. He stayed with the liberals for two decades before returning to the Conservatives in 1924. He saw out his career in the Conservative Party (until his death in 1965).
  5. At just  25 years old, he became a Member of Parliament for Oldham in the British House of Commons.
  6. On one of his very popular book tours and speeches in the US, he was introduced on stage by the legendary American humorist and novelist Mark Twain himself.
  7. At some point in time (around the 1890s), Winston Churchill was considered the highest paid journalist in Britain.
  8. He and the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), never saw eye to eye. They often clashed on a host of issues, especially prior to World War I. In 1915, he suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Ottomans at Gallipoli in what is now modern Turkey.
  9. The Gold Standard that he adopted for the British Pound during his time as Chancellor of the Exchequer (1924-1929) did not sit well with the British public. He later bemoaned this decision of his and even tagged it as one of his biggest mistakes in life.
  10. For his extensive writing days and the sheer number of books he published, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.
  11. Sir Winston Churchill received an honorary Citizenship of the United States from President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Aside from this, his mother, Jennie Churchill, was also an American-born citizen.
  12. He represented a total of 5 constituencies in the British House of Commons (parliament). The constituencies were: Oldham (1900-1906); Manchester North West (1906-1908); Dundee (1908-1922); Epping (1924-1945); and Woodford (1945-1964). He often referred to himself as ‘a child of the House of Commons’ representing these constituencies over a span of about 64 years.
  13. He had a minor speech impediment in the later part of his career. This was due to the stroke suffered in 1953.
  14. He served in the British Parliament right up into a ripe age of 89 years.
  15. He had more election defeats than any other British politician in recent history.
  16. His speeches and quotes during World War II are regarded as some of the best speeches of the 20th They proved very useful in whipping support for the service men and women that fought in the trenches. The speeches, full of realistic aspirations and hope, were solely aimed at defending liberal democracy against fascism.
  17. Even before the age of 25, he had already completed two tours with the British army: the Anglo-Sudan War and the Second Boer War in South Africa.
  18. In addition to his plethora of achievements, he is often considered as one of the best war correspondents of the 20th century. From 1895 to 1900, he covered and participated in wars in Cuba, India, Egypt and South Africa.
  19. Churchill extensively toured many African countries in the early 1900s. his experiences were published in his 1908 book: My African Journey.
  20. He was once a prisoner of war under Boer captivity South Africa. This was during the Second Boer War. Along with two other prisoners, he made a daring escape from captivity.
  21. As wartime leader, he has commonly featured on the list of greatest minds of the 20th century.
  22. In his Second term as prime minister (1951-1955), he played an active role in leading the UK during the Korean War, Malayan Emergency, and the Mau Mau Uprising.
  23. From 1940 to 1955, he was the leader of the Conservative Party.
  24. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Winston Churchill into the Order of the Garter.
  25. His state funeral was a rarity considering the fact that state funerals are typically reserved for kings or queens.
  26. The most distinguishing part of his life came between 1939 and 1945 (during World War War II). Those years were not just the most defining for him but for Britain and all of continental Europe. He never stopped having dreams of victory.
  27. He never believed that he would live into his old age. This was because his father,Lord Randolph Churchill(1849-1895), died when he was young.
  28. His epitaph reads: “I Am Ready to Meet My Maker. Whether My Maker Is Prepared For The Great Ordeal Of Meeting Me Is Another Matter.”

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