Famous quotes of Winston Churchill on democracy and leadership. A man who won’t give up no matter what the situation.
The roaring lion, as they used to call him, with his inspiring speeches and his refusal to quit, even when the odds were against him, led Great Britain to victory against the Nazis through its “Darkest Hour” in 1945.
6 Surprising Facts about Winston Churchill
1. He received a Nobel prize for Literature in 1953
Winston Churchill received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 “for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.”
2. He served twice as a Prime Minister
He served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice. He first served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and then again from 1951 to 1955.
3. First Known Use of OMG in a letter to Winston Churchill
The use of “OMG” as an abbreviation for “Oh my God” dates from a letter written in 1917 by Admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher. The letter was addressed to Churchill, and Fisher wrote “I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis—O.M.G. (Oh! My God!)—Shower it on the Admiralty!”. So it was not a direct letter to Churchill but rather a comment on a rumor that was going around and it was more likely written in jest. (*)
4. Was Churchill half-American?
Winston Churchill was not American from his mother’s side. His mother, Jennie Jerome, was born in New York City, but she was of British-American descent. Her father, Leonard Jerome, was an American businessman and her mother, Clara Hall Jerome, was British. So, while his mother was born in the United States, she was not an American citizen, but rather a British subject.
5. The term “Iron Curtain” became widely known in one of his speeches in March 1946
On March 5, 1946, Churchill delivered a speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in which he warned of the growing divide between the Soviet Union and the West. He said:
“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.”
This speech was given at a critical moment in history, as tensions were rising between the Western powers and the Soviet Union in the aftermath of World War II, and Churchill’s use of the phrase “Iron Curtain” helped to define the new political reality of the Cold War.
6. An excerpt Of “Churchill’s speech is included in the Iron Maiden’s song Aces High
Legendary heavy metal group Iron Maiden included an excerpt from Winston Churchill’s speech “We shall fight on the beaches” as an intro to their song “Aces High” (it appears in the video version and on their live album “Live After Death”). They also use it as an opening for their live shows.