Facts about Winston Churchill

January marks the anniversary of the death of Winston Churchill, he lived to the age of 90, so managed to squeeze a lot in and was instrumental in keeping morale high during WWII, so test your knowledge of Britain’s most famous prime minster with these facts.

Did you know…
Though Churchill is known as the Greatest Briton, he was actually half American. His father was Lord Randolph Churchill, a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer. His mother, Jennie Jerome was an American socialite, which led to Sir Winston being made an honorary citizen of the United States in 1963.

Did you know…
Winston Churchill is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Not for his work during the war however, but for Literature. He won in 1953 for his “mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.” To date, he is the only British Prime Minister to have been honoured with the Nobel Prize in Literature since the award was created in 1901.

Did you know…
He’s a chart topper. Well… Sort of. He’s been in the music charts twice and is the only prime minister to do so. He first charted in 1965, with a posthumous release of his speeches. Later he was featured in a recording marking the 70^th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Did you know…
He was an accomplished artist, despite not really starting until his 40s. By the end of his life, he was a prolific artist, creating over 500 paintings, some of his work is even on display in collections across the UK.

Did you know…
Despite being famous for his speeches, Churchill actually had a speech impediment and even offered advice to a monarch suffering from a similar affliction. He had a life long struggle with saying the letter ‘s’ – not that you would know!

Did you know…
Churchill might be seen as being a British Bull Dog who couldn’t be kept down by the enemy during the war, he did spend some time as a prisoner of war. During the Boer War, he was sent to South Africa as a reporter but ended up being captured by enemy soldiers and took part in a daring escape.

Did you know…
Not only did Winston Churchill serve as prime minister twice, but he also served under six monarchs. He served in British Parliament for over 50 years, having begun his political career in 1900 as an MP for Oldham. He served as prime minister, firstly during WWII and then again from 1951-1955 and sat under Queens Victoria and Elizabeth II,  as well as Kings Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI.

You can find out more about Churchill and British politics through the years here.