Winston Churchill led Britain through its darkest hours with a cigar in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other. He inspired a nation with his thundering speeches and refused to surrender to tyranny. However, this serious statesman also possessed a playful side that involved bricklaying and painting. Furthermore, his life contained enough close calls and strange habits to fill several adventure novels. Explore these fascinating details about the man who flashed the V for Victory.
Winston Churchill
Lord Fisher sent a letter to Winston Churchill in 1917 that contained the first known use of “OMG.” The admiral used the abbreviation for “Oh My God” to express his excitement about a new knighthood order.
He escaped from a prisoner of war camp in South Africa during the Boer War. He climbed over a wall and hid in a coal mine for three days before stowing away on a freight train.
Surprisingly, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature rather than the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee honored him in 1953 for his mastery of historical descriptions and his brilliant oratory.
He worked as a professional bricklayer in his spare time at his country estate. In fact, he joined the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers as an adult member.
Winston Churchill invented the “siren suit,” which is essentially a modern-day onesie. He designed this one-piece velvet outfit so he could get dressed quickly during night-time air raids.
A taxi driver in New York City hit him with a car in 1931 because he looked the wrong way. He forgot that traffic in America drives on the right side of the road and stepped directly into the street.
His mother, Jennie Jerome, was actually an American heiress from Brooklyn. Therefore, the British Prime Minister technically grew up as half-American.
President John F. Kennedy proclaimed him the very first honorary citizen of the United States. He received this rare distinction in 1963, though he watched the ceremony from his home due to poor health.
He painted over 500 artworks during his lifetime to cope with depression. He often used the pseudonym “Charles Morin” to submit his paintings to exhibitions in Paris.
His daily routine involved working from his bed until noon every single day. He dictated speeches to his typists while eating breakfast and playing with his cat.
He struggled with a speech impediment that included a lisp and a stammer. He rehearsed his speeches for hours to overcome these difficulties before addressing the public.
During the Boer War, he traveled with 60 bottles of alcohol in his personal luggage. He refused to go to the front lines without his favorite wine and spirits.
He installed a lifeboat with a machine gun on his personal yacht during World War II. He promised to resist capture at all costs if German forces ever attacked his ship.
His mother went into labor prematurely while attending a dance at Blenheim Palace. Consequently, Winston Churchill entered the world inside a makeshift delivery room that was originally a ladies’ cloakroom.
Finally, he smoked an estimated 250,000 cigars throughout his long life. He chewed on them so constantly that he required a special oxygen mask that allowed him to smoke while flying in unpressurized planes.
