Five interesting facts from the life of Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill (Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill)

As you know, history remembers only great events and only the most gifted individuals. One of the most influential and famous people of the last century was Winston Churchill. He was not just twice Prime Minister of Great Britain (61st and 63rd), but also a writer, war correspondent, Chancellor of the Exchequer, a brilliant statesman, the best orator of his time and even a Nobel Prize laureate for his achievements in the field of literature.

The full name of the famous British person is Churchill Winston Leonard Spencer. The life of the politician was so eventful and entertaining that a lot of interesting things can be traced in any area of ​​his activity.

And so, we present interesting facts about Churchill.

Churchill was partly an American: his grandfather was a relative (although not close) of George Washington himself, and his mother was the daughter of a famous American businessman, New York Times shareholder Leonardo Jerome.

The birth of little Winston was extremely unusual: he was born at seven months old in a room similar to a women's locker room. The fact is that Lady Jenny Churchill (the mother of the future politician) did not miss the chance to attend the next ball at Blenheim Palace, even despite her “position,” thereby causing premature birth.

Few people know that such an influential person, who made many fateful decisions, had a hard time studying. Young Churchill did not understand and did not like mathematics, did not learn classical languages ​​well, and his father considered him completely untalented. After graduating from preparatory school, Winston was planned to be sent to study at Eton. However, due to fear of unbearable mental stress, the parents sent the boy to Harrow School, where children from wealthy families also studied.

Before the start of World War II, or more precisely in 1938, an outstanding politician ordered the construction of a bunker.

During the fighting, he used the shelter rooms only for work. Currently, everyone can see the bunker, since it is now a museum, representing historical value.

Despite his genuine attraction to the art of war, Churchill was also very drawn to drawing. Over the years of his life, he wrote more than 500 works. Although these arts were not performed at a professional level, amateur interest was clearly evident in them.

As you know, the British figure was not only a great orator, but also an inveterate wit. One day Bessie Braddock, a lady from the Labor Party, said to Churchill: “You’re drunk, Winston!” To which she received the answer: “You’re scary. And the whole point is that in the morning I will be sober, and you will remain scary.” This quote is still recognized as the most stinging insult.

The brilliant politician of his era was a typical workaholic. He was so busy with political affairs that he completely forgot about his personal life. At some time, his relatives and friends began to think that he would never marry. However, in spite of everything, Winston Churchill, with modest external data, got a real beauty as his wife - Clementine Hozier - the daughter of a dragoon colonel. The wedding took place in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, on September 12, 1908.

The British Parliament in 2002 recognized Winston Churchill as the greatest figure in British history. But this is not a reason to forget that the great Prime Minister was an ordinary man, with his shortcomings, weaknesses and aspirations, which did not prevent him from playing a superb leading role in Britain’s war with Nazi Germany.

Other interesting facts about Churchill can be found in the film "Churchill".

Winston Churchill - British statesman and politician, Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1940-1945 and 1951-1955; military man, journalist, writer, honorary member of the British Academy. In 1953, Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Churchill is one of the most famous people of the 20th century. There are many interesting events in it, which we will talk about in this article.

So, in front of you biography of Winston Churchill.

Biography of Churchill

His father, Randolph Henry Spencer, was a lord and politician, and also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Mother, Lady Randolph, was the daughter of a wealthy businessman. It follows from this that Winston's childhood passed in very favorable conditions.

Childhood

However, despite the luxury of home, the child was deprived of the attention of his parents. His father spent all his time at work, engaged in political affairs, and his mother was completely absorbed in social life.

As a result, Churchill's actual upbringing fell on the shoulders of his nanny Elizabeth, who became his best friend. How can we not remember his poem to the nanny: “Friend of my harsh days...”

Education

When Churchill was 7 years old, he went to the prestigious St. George's School. In it, teachers paid more attention than to studying. Students were severely punished for the slightest violation of established rules.

Since Winston Churchill was not very diligent as a child, he often violated discipline. As a result, the boy was repeatedly spanked.

When the nanny one day saw marks of beatings on Winston’s body, she immediately told his parents about it, as a result of which they transferred their son to another educational institution located in Brighton.

According to teachers, Churchill had good academic performance, but also the most disgusting behavior among all the students in the group.

When he was 12 years old, he suffered from pneumonia, which led to serious complications. In this regard, he had to study at the less prestigious Harrow, and not at Eton College, where many men from their family studied.

But the parents of the future politician considered that the child’s health was more important than family traditions.

At his new place of study, Winston Churchill did not strive to get high grades, but rather the opposite - he studied only what was truly interesting to him.

This upset his parents very much, so after 3 years they decided to transfer him to the “army class”, in which the main emphasis was on studying military affairs. As it turns out later, this transition will play an important role in Churchill’s biography.

At this educational institution, he was one of those few students who managed to pass all exams perfectly. Thanks to this, he was able to enter an elite military school, where Winston also continued to study well. As a result, he graduated with the rank of junior lieutenant.

Military career

At the age of 21, Churchill was enlisted in the 4th Royal Hussars.

After studying there for several months, he realized that he was not at all interested in a military career. He shared his experiences with his mother during correspondence.

Then his mother decided to help Winston change his occupation with the help of her extensive connections. As a result, the young man was assigned to be a military journalist in Cuba, continuing to be a member of the hussar regiment.

Churchill's first articles received positive feedback from readers and even allowed him to earn a very respectable sum of 25 guineas.

It was in Cuba that Churchill acquired the habit of smoking cigars, which he could not give up until the last days of his life.

In 1896, Churchill went on a business trip to India, and then to. An interesting fact is that in addition to journalism, Winston repeatedly participated in heavy battles, showing extraordinary courage and bravery.

Political biography

In 1899, Churchill became seriously interested in politics. However, his first attempt to enter parliament was a fiasco. As a result, he again decided to take up journalism. He went to, where the Boer War was taking place at that time.

During this period of his biography, Churchill was captured, but soon he managed to make a successful escape. After that he became a real hero.

An interesting fact is that even after his escape, Churchill continued to participate in battles. Moreover, he became one of those who freed his compatriots from the prison in which he himself was held during his captivity.

The leaders of the Big Three made major decisions about the future division of the world between the victorious countries.

During this period, Great Britain was experiencing an economic crisis, and the common people were in distress.

Leaving politics

Despite the fact that Winston Churchill brought victory to his nation, he did not have the support of voters at the next election. For this reason, he resigned and left politics.

After this, Churchill’s biography takes a sharp turn, and he again begins to actively engage in writing, as well as be interested in simple everyday work.

Churchill personally built various buildings out of bricks, raised pigs and planted trees. But he did not have time to enjoy this peace. Very soon another significant event occurred in his biography.

Return to politics

In 1951, when Churchill was already 76 years old, he again assumed the post of Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Now he sought to create nuclear weapons, wanting to return Britain to its former military power.

However, the years took their toll, and his health became worse. He was treated for heart failure, eczema and developing deafness.

In February 1952, he apparently suffered another stroke and lost the ability to speak coherently for several months.

In June 1953, the attack repeated, and he was paralyzed on the left side for several months.

Despite this, Churchill categorically refused to retire.

And only on April 5, 1955, he resigned from the post of Prime Minister of Great Britain due to age and health conditions.

Personal life

The only love in Churchill's biography was Clementine Hozier, who was a very wise and educated woman. Winston lived with her for 57 happy years.

It is interesting that the Prime Minister discussed many state issues with his wife, and only after that made any decisions. By the way, at one time he did the same.

By some miracle, Clementine managed to find an approach to her hot-tempered and obstinate husband.

Winston Churchill himself repeatedly said that no other woman could stand his character. In their marriage they had five children.

The wife turned a blind eye to many of Winston. It is worth noting that Churchill almost never parted with a cigar and was a very gambling person.

He could spend days and nights in gambling houses, forgetting about everything in the world. After his death, Hozier lived for another 12 years, remaining faithful to her husband.

Death

Winston Churchill died on January 24, 1965 at the age of 90. His death was the result of a stroke.

The funeral ceremony of the most famous British prime minister was led by Queen Elizabeth 2 and became the largest in British history.

Representatives of 112 states attended the funeral. The funeral of Winston Churchill was broadcast by many television channels around the world, thanks to which hundreds of millions of people watched the funeral event.

At the request of the politician, he was buried in the cemetery in Blaydon, not far from his birthplace.

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The history of the 20th century was deeply marked by those people who made decisions that were fateful for humanity. Among outstanding politicians, Winston Churchill confidently takes his place - Prime Minister of Great Britain, writer, Nobel laureate, one of the leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition, anti-communist, author of many aphorisms that have become popular, a lover of cigars and strong drinks, and generally an interesting person.

His image is known to our fellow citizens from documentary footage of the Second World War, filmed during the Yalta, Tehran and War. On them, among other members of the Big Three, attention is drawn to his plump figure, covered in a khaki military service jacket, an ugly but very charming face and a penetrating gaze . This was the extraordinary Winston Churchill, books about whom are still being written today, and films are being made that open unfamiliar pages of his biography. Some points remain a mystery today.

Birth and family

At the end of November 1874, the Duke of Marlborough was preparing for a ball at Blenheim Palace. Lady Churchill certainly wanted to attend. They tried to dissuade her, but she was adamant, which led to certain circumstances that disrupted the evening party. It just so happened that Winston Churchill was born on a mountain of women's coats, hats and other outerwear, piled up in a room that served as a makeshift wardrobe for guests.

The nanny Everest was mainly involved in raising the red-haired and not very beautiful child. The influence of this remarkable woman on the future politician was enormous, and he always kept her photograph in a prominent place in all the offices he occupied, obviously, until the end of his life, comparing his actions with the moral guidelines laid down by her. This is how Winston Churchill expressed his gratitude, whose biography testifies that the nanny was a correct and wise person.

School, adolescence

Little Winston was not a child prodigy. Although he had an excellent memory, he used it only when he was interested in the subject he was studying. The boy’s diction was so-so, he couldn’t pronounce some letters at all, but at the same time he was distinguished by his verbosity. He showed complete indifference to the exact sciences, Greek and Latin, but he loved his native English language and studied it willingly.

The descendant of an aristocratic family had to study in a special school. This was the privileged educational institution Ascot, where Winston Churchill spent several years. Then the young man was transferred to the Harrow High School, also famous for its long traditions. His parents believed that their son was missing stars from the sky, and this was true, and therefore decided on a military career for him. The young man was able to enter the Sandhurst Higher Cavalry School of the Royal Army in 1893 only for the third time. Two years later his father died. For the son, the death of a beloved and respected parent was a great loss, despite certain mutual misunderstandings. Childhood is over, the young man has turned into a grown man.

Beginning of parliamentary activity

Having a higher education, the military rank of lieutenant and noble origin, Winston Churchill, whose biography as a politician was just beginning, won the parliamentary elections of 1900. Despite the fact that he ran from the Conservative Party, he showed sympathy rather for its opponents - the liberals. This contradiction was expressed in the fact that he himself defined his status as an “independent conservative,” which created many problems for him, but this line of behavior also had advantages. Conflicts with fellow party members created a certain scandal, which contributed to greater fame in political circles. Due to the fact that during his speeches many parliamentarians, and sometimes the Prime Minister himself, defiantly left the meeting room, Winston Churchill was noticed. In 1904, he left the ranks of the Conservatives.

Colonial Secretary

The senator's eloquence attracted attention to him, and proposals for cooperation with various constituencies were not long in coming. He unconditionally rejected those that were not interesting to Churchill, but in 1906 he agreed to become minister in charge of colonial affairs. The importance of the overseas territories for the well-being of the British Empire was enormous, and even then the politician’s patriotism was evident, expressed in the priorities of the interests of the power over other considerations. The results of the activities within a short period of time turned out to be very impressive, and the efforts were noticed and appreciated at the highest level, including those around Edward VII and the monarch himself.

1908 ended with the resignation of Prime Minister Campbell Bannerman, whose place was soon taken by Asquith. He invited Churchill to join the Royal Navy, but was refused. War was not expected in the near future, and without it, the position of Minister of the Navy did not promise glory. Regarding the other post of Minister of Self-Government, the reaction was the same, although for a different reason; Churchill was simply not interested in the topic. But he wanted to engage in trade, although at first glance it did not promise any political dividends.

Marriage

Winston Churchill was so busy with political affairs for a long time that his friends began to doubt that he would ever get married, but they were wrong. Despite his more than modest external appearance and constant workload, he still found the opportunity to meet a very beautiful girl, charm her (obviously with her intellect and eloquence) and lead her down the aisle. The daughter of a dragoon officer-colonel, Clementine Hozier, was charming, educated, intelligent, and fluent in two foreign languages ​​(German and French). Even the owners of the most evil tongues could not suspect Winston of selfish motives: there was practically no dowry, with the exception, of course, of the personal qualities of the bride and her noble Irish-Scottish origin.

Minister of Internal Affairs

At the age of thirty-five, Churchill became Minister of Law and Order, occupying one of the key posts in the Empire. Now he had to be responsible for the capital's police, bridges, roads, correctional facilities, agriculture and even fishing. Also, the duties of the Minister of the Interior, according to the ancient English tradition, included the indispensable presence at births in the royal family, the proclamation of heirs to the throne, and writing reports on the work of parliament, which gave Churchill the opportunity to demonstrate his literary talents at the highest level. He did this with great pleasure.

On the eve of the great war

Someone may have doubted that the “cold” contradictions between countries, rich colonies and Germany and Austria-Hungary, deprived of them, would sooner or later develop into a “hot” conflict, but not Winston Churchill. Based on information received from intelligence and defense experts, he drew up a memorandum for the Prime Minister on military aspects in Europe, stating the practical inevitability of the impending war. After this, the country's leadership undertook a kind of castling, swapping McCann and Churchill, as a result of which the author of the report received at his disposal a fleet that he had previously refused. It was 1911, and serious events were brewing. The new minister coped with the task of preparing the Royal Navy for the upcoming naval battles.

First war

The date for the start of the military conflict was determined quite precisely by the British government. Routine naval maneuvers were canceled in 1914, a hidden partial mobilization was carried out, after the traditional parade on July 17, the ships were not sent to their permanent locations, but by order of the Admiralty, their concentration was maintained. After the outbreak of the war between the Central Powers and Russia, Churchill took upon himself the responsibility to announce the full mobilization of the fleet, without waiting for the government's decision. This step could have cost him removal from office, but everything worked out, the decision was recognized as correct, and a day later his actions were approved. On the fourth of August, Britain declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Post-war life

The events of the First World War are well known: after the defeat of Germany and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the world, and primarily Europe, faced the problem of the spread of communism. The anti-Marxist position taken by Winston Churchill and his statements on this matter indicate his conviction in the need to destroy the Bolshevik regime in Russia. But economically, Western countries, exhausted by the four-year massacre, were not ready for large-scale military intervention. As a result of the impossibility of an armed struggle against communism, the leaders of democratic Europe, and then the whole world, were forced to recognize Soviet power. Churchill's role as Minister of War had become secondary by 1921. This, of course, upset him, but troubles were ahead. That same year, real sorrows befell him: first the death of his mother (and she was not yet old, only 67 years old), then his two-year-old daughter Marigold.

Diligence and energy, as well as new work, helped the couple recover from a terrible double grief. Churchill again became Secretary of State for the Colonies, but the 1922 elections ended disastrously: he did not get into parliament. Churchill decides to take some time off with his wife in France. It seemed that my career was over.

Back in Parliament

In the first half of the twenties, Churchill had an influential political enemy - Bonar Law, who served as prime minister. In 1923, he became seriously ill and never recovered. The disgraced politician managed to establish contact with Baldwin, the new leader of the Conservatives, but his first two attempts to return to parliament were unsuccessful. The third time, he returned to the respected assembly, winning the election from the Epping district, and at the same time received the post of Minister of Finance. In 1929, Labor replaced the Conservatives in power, and for a decade Churchill's active nature had no opportunity for expression. He had to follow the developments in Germany, which by the mid-thirties was increasingly reviving economically and militarily, becoming a formidable rival for Britain.

Pre-war expectations

Few British politicians understood the role of air power in the coming war as deeply as Winston Churchill. Photos and newsreels of Neville Chamberlain waving the treaty signed in Munich document the complacency of the then European peacekeepers making concessions to Nazi Germany in the second half of the thirties.

Meanwhile, in Britain, a secret government committee had been operating for about two years, overseeing the strengthening of the state’s defense capabilities. Its member was Winston, who was pessimistic about the prospects for appeasing Hitler. Even then, he was distinguished by his paradoxical and unconventional thinking, arguing that by looking too far ahead, people act short-sighted. Winston preferred to deal with pressing and urgent issues. In particular, largely thanks to the efforts of the committee, by the beginning of the war the Royal Air Force received Spitfire and Hurricane fighter aircraft capable of countering the Messerschmitts.

Finest hour, second war with Germany

After attacking Poland and declaring war on Germany in 1939, Britain fought Hitlerism alone for almost two years. June 22, 1941 became a holiday for Churchill. Having learned about the German attack on the USSR, he realized that the war could be considered won. Winston Churchill, whose biography was connected with the fight against communism, wanted nothing at that time as much as the success of the Red Army. Being in an extremely difficult economic situation, Great Britain provided military assistance to the USSR, supplying military cargo. The ability to sacrifice even one’s own beliefs to save one’s country is a sign of a true patriot and wise politician. However, this deviation in views was temporary and forced. The declared and demonstrated sympathy for the Soviets gave way to outright hostility by the beginning of the Big Three conference in Potsdam.

During war, strong-willed qualities manifest themselves most clearly. Winston Churchill was no exception. His biography in those years entered its brightest phase; he perfectly combined eloquence with the ability to resolve military-political and economic issues. It was difficult to call his speeches laconic, but even in some of his verbosity the British found what they so lacked: confidence in victory and good spirits. However, one of his aphorisms expressed the opinion that silence is often a sign that a person simply has nothing to say. He also once said that only the inhabitants of Albion can rejoice that things are bad. There was no politician in the United Kingdom who was as popular as Winston, whose speeches were conveyed to each other by the residents of London and Coventry, Liverpool and Sheffield suffering from bombing and deprivation. They made many people smile. This was the prime minister's finest hour.

After battle

The Second World War ended. Winston Churchill resigned at the end of May 1945, sharing with the Conservative Party its defeat in the next election. Well, this is the essence of Western democracy, for which recent, but already past, merits mean little. Winston Churchill's aphorisms regarding this form of government are distinguished by a special malice that reaches the point of cynicism. Thus, he quite seriously argued that democracy is only good because all other ways of governing the country are even worse, and to become disillusioned with it, you just need to talk a little with the “average voter.”

However, the threat that things would get worse in many countries after the war was very real. Stalinist communism advanced across the planet using a wide variety of methods - from force to subtle insidiousness. The Cold War began immediately after the victory over fascism, but it was marked by a speech in the American city of Fulton, which in 1946, on March 5, exactly seven years before the death of Joseph Stalin, was delivered by Winston Churchill. Interesting facts and coincidences accompanied him throughout his life. The British politician’s attitude towards “Uncle Joe,” as Western politicians nicknamed Soviet leader Stalin, was ambiguous. Churchill combined his hostility and rejection of Marxist ideas with genuine respect for the extraordinary personality of a man who was at times his ally and then his enemy.

The Prime Minister's attitude towards alcohol seems interesting. According to him, he received more from alcohol than he gave. In his old age, Churchill joked that if in his youth he did not drink before lunch, now he has a different rule: under no circumstances should he take strong drinks before breakfast. According to the recollections of his grandson, his grandfather started the day with a glass of whiskey (not such a small portion), but no one had ever seen him drunk. Of course, such habits do not deserve to be imitated, but, as the Russian proverb says, you cannot erase words from a song.

The literary works written by Winston Churchill are also interesting. The books tell about the colonial wars, in particular about the Afghan and Anglo-Boer campaigns, about the fight against world communism, as well as about many other historical events in which the author took part. The texts are distinguished by excellent style and subtle humor, characteristic of this extraordinary person.

Churchill had the opportunity to occupy the prime minister's chair twice. He last headed the British government in 1951 at the age of 77. His advanced years had taken its toll on the general condition of his body, and it became increasingly difficult for him to work. “Sir Winston Churchill” was the way to address the prime minister since 1953, when the young Elizabeth II, the new Queen of England, awarded him the Order of the Garter. British laws do not provide for greater honor. He became a knight, and only a monarch is considered to have a higher social status.

Goodbye politics!

The information about how Winston Churchill left big politics is shrouded in secrecy. A short biography, studied by British schoolchildren and students, contains information about the acceptance of his resignation without undue fuss in 1955. The removal from power occurred gradually, over almost four months. The respect, deference and tact shown by the UK's senior leadership during this process deserve special mention. The politician’s entire life was devoted to serving his homeland and caring for its interests, which was noted by many awards (both royal and foreign).

The great Churchill lived another ten years. A new era had arrived, the war had begun in distant Vietnam, young people were going crazy for their idols, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles were conquering the world, the “flower children” - hippies - were preaching universal love, and all this was so unlike secularism. political life at the beginning of the century, when young Winston began his long journey in politics.

The outstanding prime minister died in early 1965. The magnificent multi-day farewell ceremony was not inferior in solemnity to the royal funeral. Churchill found his final resting place next to his parents in the ordinary city cemetery in Blandon.

• Winston Churchill drank a lot; his favorite alcoholic drink was Armenian cognac “Dvin”. Contemporaries claim that the hero of today's top drank one bottle of this strong drink every day. One day, having received a new batch from the Soviet Union, Winston was very surprised - the taste of cognac had changed a lot. On occasion, Churchill asked Stalin what happened to the Armenian cognac factory. It turned out that the chief master who was involved in the Dvina blend was sent to the camps by order of the leader himself. After a conversation between the two managers, the masters were returned back to the plant, and later were awarded the honorary title “Hero of Socialist Labor”
• At the famous conference in Yalta, Eden Anthony gave Churchill a note. He read it and immediately burned it with a burning cigar. Winston scribbled a reply note quickly and illegibly and handed it back to Eden, who read the answer, tore the paper into small pieces and threw it into the trash. After the conference, the Soviet “committee members” collected Churchill’s note from scraps. The answer was: “Don’t worry, the old hawk won’t fall out of the nest.” However, over the years, the Soviet intelligence services were unable to decipher the meaning of the message. The solution was revealed after N. S. Khrushchev’s visit to London - there the Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee asked Churchill personally what the meaning of the message was. It turned out that Churchill’s fly was unzipped at the conference, Eden noticed this and warned him, to which Churchill responded with a phrase that was beyond the reach of Soviet decoders
• At one of the parliamentary meetings, Winston spoke unusually actively and supported his words with many figures, without even looking at the draft text of the speech. At the end of the hearing, one of the impressed friends asked how Winston managed to get such accurate figures - after all, to get them you need to spend at least six months. In response, Churchill only laughed: “That’s exactly the amount of time my opponents will need to confirm the inaccuracy and refute my theses.”
• Once, at a serious social reception, a waiter, pouring champagne, accidentally spilled some on Churchill’s bald head, and, terribly frightened, blushed. An oppressive silence hung in the hall, interrupted by the victim himself: “Young man, do you really think this method is the most modern remedy for baldness?”
• After working as a war correspondent in Cuba, Sir Winston acquired not only a love of cigars, but also the habit of an afternoon nap - a siesta. Returning to England, and already at the post of Prime Minister, Churchill regularly dozed off in the afternoon, and even in wartime he always tried not to deny himself such pleasure
• Sir Winston Churchill received the Nobel Prize in 1953 for "Excellence in writings of a historical and biographical nature and for brilliant oratory in the defense of the highest human values." Interestingly, his rival was Ernest Hemingway, who received the prize a year later.
• By the time Churchill turned 70, the BBC decided to create a group of editors of eight people specifically for prompt coverage of the people in the event of the death of this great man. The group's responsibilities included writing an obituary with up-to-date information, broadcasting a radio program, and widely notifying as many people as possible. However, even despite his excessive passion for Armenian cognac and Cuban cigars, Winston lived to be 90 years old, outliving all eight journalists from the task force

Many Britons consider Winston Churchill the greatest of their compatriots, and we must admit that they have good reason. Churchill lived a very interesting life, full of important decisions and immense responsibility. Having become one of the most prominent politicians of his time, he forever inscribed his biography on the pages of British history, and he is still widely revered by all Englishmen.

1. He was born premature, seven months old, which did not stop him from living 90 years, despite not having the healthiest lifestyle.
2. Churchill's biography mentions the fact that his father, due to his mediocre academic success, gave up on him, considering him a hopeless idiot.
3. The politician had mixed Anglo-American roots. His mother was the daughter of a businessman from the United States, and his father came from an ancient family of English dukes.
4. As a child, Winston Churchill was often subjected to corporal punishment at school for bad behavior.
5. Churchill's parents could not pay much attention to their son, so he was raised by a nanny. As he himself later recalled, she became the closest person in his life.
6. His full name is Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill.
7. At one time, the future politician managed to fight a lot, eventually rising to the rank of colonel. As a soldier, Churchill took part in hostilities in Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.
8. In 2002, the British company BBC conducted a poll according to which Winston Churchill was recognized as the greatest Briton in history (see).
9. Few people know that he was also a talented writer. He wrote more books than the famous Walter Scott and Charles Dickens combined.
10. Being also an experienced mason, Churchill built his country estate by hand.
11. The politician’s favorite drink throughout his life was cognac, mostly Armenian.
12. In the 50s of the last century, Churchill received the Nobel Prize in Literature, beating Hemingway himself in the fight for first place (see).
13. Throughout his life, Churchill smoked a lot, preferring strong cigars. He became addicted to them while serving as a war correspondent in Cuba.
14. He had an excellent memory and knew almost all of Shakespeare's works by heart. And once, for a bet, he read 1,200 lines from a book about the history of Ancient Rome from memory.
15. Once at an official reception, a waiter accidentally poured champagne on the head of the balding Churchill. In response, he asked the waiter if he was really sure that this was a suitable remedy for baldness.
16. A talented and multifaceted person, he was also an artist. And very talented - his paintings were exhibited even in the Louvre, however, Churchill signed them with the pseudonym “Charles Morin”. Picasso himself publicly stated that Churchill would have become a great artist if he had not chosen politics (see).
17. He wrote all his political speeches himself.
18. Churchill's personal supply of cigars in his mansion numbered several thousand.
19. At the end of the 19th century, when the future politician was in Africa as a war correspondent, the Boers, with whom the British were fighting, placed a reward of 25 pounds on Churchill's head. At the same time, he then received 250 pounds a month for his work.
20. Once in Africa he was captured, but managed to escape from prison.