Photo By Yousuf Karsh / Library and Archives Canada
“In the twinkling of an eye, I found myself without an office, without a seat, without a party and without an appendix.”
If you know who said this, you might be a fan of one of the most quotable men in history — Winston Churchill. This year marks what would have been his 150th birthday. To celebrate, the International Churchill Society has been holding events throughout the year, culminating on his birthday.
Churchill was born on Nov. 30, 1874. His father was an aristocrat and politician. His mother was considered an American beauty. The history books paint him as an unhappy child who did not do well in school. It took him three attempts to pass the entrance exam for the Royal Military College, now the Academy, where he went on to serve as a soldier and a journalist. Churchill left the military in 1899 to begin a political career, which was tumultuous to say the least.
Still, he persevered and served as Britain’s Prime Minister twice — once between 1940 and 1945 and again between 1951 and 1955. Churchill became famous for his speeches, which bolstered British morale during World War II.
One of his most famous speeches was the “Finest Hour” address: “Let us, therefore, brace ourselves to our duty and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This is our finest hour.’”
Over the years Churchill earned the nickname “The British Bulldog,” for his tenacity and his resemblance to one.
Visit winstonchurchill.org