Winston Churchill was born 150 years ago: exciting facts about the statesman

Winston Churchill (1874-1965) is considered one of the most important personalities of the 20th century and one of the greatest British prime ministers. However, the statesman who led Great Britain through the Second World War shone in other areas. Here you can find exciting facts about Winston Churchill, who was born on November 30, 1874 – 150 years ago.

Like Princess Diana (1961-1997), the famous Prime Minister belonged to the aristocratic Spencer family. His full name was Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill. The connection between the ancestors of Winston Churchill and Princess Diana goes back many centuries. The common ancestors are Charles Spencer, the third Earl of Sunderland, and Lady Anne Churchill, who married in 1700. Because of this connection, it is believed that Diana and Churchill were very distant cousins.

The great British politician was actually half American. Winston Churchill was born to Lord (1849-1895) and Lady Churchill (1854-1921). His father, Randolph Churchill, was a high-ranking British politician, his mother, Jennie Jerome, came from New York society. Churchill later became the first person to be granted honorary citizenship of the United States (1963).

Winston Churchill was a member of the British Parliament for several decades. His political career began at the 1900 general election. His career spanned the reigns of Queen Victoria (1819-1901), Edward VII (1841-1910), George V (1865-1936), Edward VIII (1894-1972). ), George VI. (1895-1952) and Elizabeth II (1926-2022).

Winston Churchill was Prime Minister twice in his career: first from May 10, 1940 to July 26, 1945 and again from October 26, 1951 to April 6, 1955.

In his youth, Churchill apparently fell in love frequently, but usually unsuccessfully. He made his first marriage proposal to society beauty Pamela Plowden. A few years later he reportedly asked American actress Ethel Barrymore, and soon after tried Muriel Wilson, considered “the most beautiful girl in Britain.” But all three women refused. Then Churchill met the lady who would become his wife and closest confidant: Clementine Hozier (1885-1977).

The two married in September 1908 and the marriage lasted 57 years until his death. The Churchills’ first child, Diana, was born in 1909, Randolph in 1911, Sarah in 1914 and Marigold in 1918. She died of sepsis in 1921. In 1922 the Churchills’ last child, Mary, was born. That same month, the Churchills purchased the Chartwell estate, which would remain their home until Winston Churchill’s death in 1965.

Winston Churchill was 40 years old when he began painting and created more than 500 paintings. The politician also received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for “his masterful historical and biographical description and for his brilliant oratory, with which he defended high human values.” He is the only British Prime Minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Winston Churchill has also made it into the music charts twice. He first hit the charts in 1965, shortly after his death, with “The Voice Of”, recordings of his most famous speeches. He later entered the album charts again in 2010 with a record for the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain: “Reach For The Skies” by The Central Band of the Royal Air Force contained speeches by the statesman.

The fact that Winston Churchill lived to be 90 years old probably had a lot to do with luck. He reportedly sustained a kidney injury when he jumped off a bridge as a teenager. Later, he reportedly almost drowned once in a Swiss lake, fell from horses several times, dislocated his shoulder while getting off a ship in India, crash-landed a plane while learning to fly, and was killed by one Car hit while looking the wrong way to cross Fifth Avenue in New York. However, none of these incidents permanently weakened him.

Churchill not only loved cigars and bow ties with always a perfectly fitting suit, he also liked to wear a one-piece suit in his free time. Or nothing at all. It is said that the White House staff had to get used to Churchill’s eccentricities during a visit in 1941. Chief servant JB West reportedly explained: “We got used to his ‘overalls,’ the extraordinary one-piece uniform he wore every day, but the servants could never quite get used to seeing him naked in his room when they went up, to serve brandy.”

The statesman is also said to have been close friends with Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). The two met in the late 1920s when the British politician traveled to California. Churchill and the actor from London, who had already become a global star in the USA, apparently did not always agree politically, but valued each other very much. Chaplin was Churchill’s guest at Chartwell twice, it is said.

The fact that Winston Churchill is still known to young people today has more to do with more than just history lessons. The politician has been portrayed on screen and on TV for decades; more than 60 actors have already slipped into the role of the statesman. These include stars like Richard Burton (1925-1984) in “The Gathering Storm” (1974), Christian Slater (55) in “Churchill: The Hollywood Years” (2004), Brendan Gleeson (69) in “Into the Storm” ( 2002), Michael Gambon (1940-2023) in “Churchill’s Secret” (2016) or Brian Cox (78) in “Churchill” (2017). Gary Oldman (66) won an Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in “The Darkest Hour” in 2018. John Lithgow (79) starred as Churchill in the Netflix hit series “The Crown” (2016-2017).