It's Winston Churchill Day! Here's Six Facts You Didn't Know About the British Bulldog

Sir Winston Churchill was a British Statemen who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the vast majority of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War's nuclear arms race. His stewardship during the darkest days of the Second World War was instrumental in keeping Great Britain from succumbing to Nazi Germany and eventually sowed the seeds of Hitler's downfall.

Of course, Churchill's rhetorical prowess is legendary. But there are other facts about the endearing, albeit occasionally gruff Prime Minister who's defiance saved Western Civilization.

Without further ado, here are six surprising facts you didn't know about Churchill that will inspire you and humanize this larger than life figure! Be sure to click through to the end to see our jaw-dropping bonus slide!


1. Historians venerate Churchill's speeches as some of the most inspiring of the twentieth century. But he had difficulty pronouncing words with S's and Z's, often mixing the sounds. Never one to be deterred, Churchill said, “My impediment is no hindrance." With practice and the help of special dentures, he overcame the challenge and went on to give the speeches that would rally Britain in her darkest hour.

2. At age 14, he was at the bottom of his class at Harrow. He failed the entrance exam to Sandhurst, the British West Point, on two occasions. When Churchill told the students at Harrow to "never give in," he knew the merits of perseverance firsthand. 

3. Churchill's military career began after Sandhurst when he worked as an army officer and war correspondent in South Africa. The British were at war with the Boers, the descendants of Dutch settlers. The enemy captured Churchill and put him in a POW camp, where he later escaped. He took refuge with a British coal mine manager, who arranged for the young soldier to return to England. His harrowing escape made him famous back home and marked a turning point in his life.

4. As First Lord of the Admiralty, Churchill organized the Dardanelles Campaign, the first large-scale, amphibious invasion in modern history. The campaign intended to weaken the German war effort by knocking their ally, the Ottoman Empire, out of the war. In spite of Churchill's daring and ambitious thinking, the plan failed, as British units were mired in another bloody stalemate with hundreds of thousands of casualties. While Gallipoli, as the battle became known, went down in history as Churchill's worst failure, it provided crucial lessons for the Normandy invasion of France in 1944. Churchill served the rest of the First World War with honor as an officer fighting on the Western Front.

5. Churchill became Prime Minister in a time of utter chaos in May 1940. The British Army was in headlong retreat that month and withdrew from France in a harrowing escape of their own at Dunkirk – leaving behind everything heavier than their rifles – mere weeks after Germany invaded. Churchill employed his powerful gift of oratory to keep Britain steadfast as it appeared the island nation would fall into a "thousand years of darkness" under Nazi rule. The speeches that would define his legacy were given in May and June of that year, proving indeed to be his finest hour. 



6. By July 1945, much of the world was still at war; Germany had surrendered in May, but death and destruction reigned in the Pacific, as Japan continued to resist at every turn. Churchill's conservative party had been in power since 1935 and had the baggage of every unpopular prewar decision, as well as the aftermath of the war to overcome. Many British cities – especially London – were heavily damaged by German bombs and nearly six years of fighting had bankrupted the country. The Labour Party swept into power that year, and Churchill's conservatives did not retake control until 1951.

On April 9, 1963, the United States Congress, at the behest of President John F. Kennedy, bestowed honorary American citizenship upon the beloved Churchill. Churchill's mother,  Jennie Spencer-Churchill, was born in the United States. Churchill's love for the United States was so absolute that he requested that the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" be sung at his funeral. April 9th is Churchill Day in the United States.