X-Nico

89 unusual facts about Winston Churchill


Alfred P. Thorne

His career as an economist began in 1945 when he was recruited by Sir Winston Churchill’s cousin, Oscar A. Spencer, first economic adviser to the Governor of British Guiana, to assist with the country's first economic development plan.

Anne O'Hare McCormick

Prior to the outbreak of World War II, McCormick obtained interviews with Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, German leader Adolf Hitler, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill, President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt, Popes Pius XI and XII, and other world leaders.

Attack in the Pacific

Winston Churchill as Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)

Australian federal election, 1940

The Coalition's advertisements asked Australians to "Cast Your Vote for Unity and an All-in War Effort / Back the Government that's Backing Churchill", with a large picture of the British Prime Minister.

Baedeker Blitz

On 27 April Winston Churchill told the War Cabinet that the government should do all it could to 'ensure that disproportionate publicity was not given to these raids' and 'avoid giving the impression that the Germans were making full reprisal' for British raids.

Baltimore Municipal Airport

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill departed from "Baltimore Municipal Airport" on a 1942 British Overseas Airways Company (BOAC) flight (today it is "British Airways") after visiting President Franklin D. Roosevelt in what was at first, a secret trip to the White House in Washington, D.C. for Allied consultations shortly after America entered the War following the Japanese bombing at Pearl Harbor, on Sunday, December 7, 1941.

Bretton Woods system

The Atlantic Charter, drafted during U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's August 1941 meeting with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on a ship in the North Atlantic, was the most notable precursor to the Bretton Woods Conference.

British Army of the Rhine

In August 1920 Winston Churchill told the British Parliament that the BAOR consisted of approximately 13,360, consisting of, Staff, Cavalry, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Infantry, Machine Gun Corps, Tanks, and the usual ancillary services.

Bullet Joe Simpson

During the war he served with the 43rd Cameron Highlanders and his unit held part of the British front alongside a battalion commanded by Major Winston Churchill.

Campaign for Democratic Socialism

Gaitskell had promised that there would be no new taxes under his administration should be become Prime Minister, not wanting to tamper with the prosperity that had emerged in Britain under the Conservative governments of Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, and Harold Macmillan.

Cataracts of the Nile

The six primary cataracts of the Nile are described extensively by European colonials, notably by Winston Churchill in The River War (1899), where he recounts the exploits of the British trying to return to Sudan between 1896 and 1898, after they were forced to leave in 1885.

Clara Clarita

Clara Clarita was a fast screw steamer originally built as a luxury steam yacht for New York financier Leonard Jerome (grandfather of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill).

Coins of the Canadian dollar

In the interest of promoting the war effort, the famous V sign from Winston Churchill was adopted.

Collar the Lot!

It was at this time that Winston Churchill, so the cabinet minutes record, issued the order: "Collar the Lot!"

Commander Steel

-- Has this been retconned? -->British Prime Minister Winston Churchill

Commission for Relief in Belgium

Many influential British policymakers, notably Lord Kitchener and Winston Churchill, felt that Germany needed to either feed the Belgians themselves or deal with the resulting starvation riots right behind their lines, and that international help to relieve that pressure was helping the Germans and thereby lengthening the war.

Dudley Field Malone

As Malone bore a strong resemblance to Winston Churchill, he was called on to play Churchill in the film adaptation of Joseph E. Davies's book Mission to Moscow (1943).

Earl Beatty

He represented Peckham in the House of Commons as a Conservative from 1931 to 1936 and briefly served as Under-Secretary of State for Air in Winston Churchill's 1945 caretaker government.

Earl of Antrim

Their daughter Lady Frances Anne Vane-Tempest married Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, and was the great-grandmother of Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

Edward Ernest Bowen

Bowen is perhaps best remembered as the author of the Harrow school song, Forty Years On, which is still sung today, and to which an extra verse was later added in honour of Winston Churchill.

Edward Mylius

The King, with the advice of home secretary Winston Churchill, issued proceedings against Mylius for criminal libel and said he was prepared to go into the box to disprove the allegations.

Fadden Government

In January 1941, Menzies flew to Britain to discuss the weakness of Singapore's defences and sit with Winston Churchill's British War Cabinet.

Fascist Legacy

The documentary's cynical conclusion is Churchills quote about "the better tomorrow with a new world order."

Female Agents

She is recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a secret spy and sabotage service initiated by Winston Churchill.

France Antelme

He was back in France in May that year, carrying messages from the British prime minister, Winston Churchill to former French prime ministers Édouard Herriot and Paul Reynaud, inviting them to come to England.

Fred C. Stinson

He returned to private practise in Toronto and was one of the organizers of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy.

Geoffrey FitzClarence, 5th Earl of Munster

Munster returned to the government in January 1943 when Winston Churchill appointed him Parliamentary Secretary for India and Burma, a post he held until October 1944, and then served as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department until July 1945 when Labour came to power.

Glyn Angell

He also provided the voice of the young Winston Churchill in the BBC-produced documentaries In the Footsteps of Churchill among a variety of televisual credits throughout radio and television.

Gomersal

Sir Winston Churchill, then Prime Minister, slept at Cleckheaton Spen sidings overnight in a special train with a heavy security cordon in 1952 during election campaigning.

Hankey Bannister

In the 20th Century; Hankey Bannister became a favourite with war-time Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and British writer Evelyn Waugh.

History of Malakand

The Administration has raised a levy force for the control of law and order situation which is the re-incarnation of the Malakand Field Force during the British regime in which Winston Churchill served as a captain.

History of Newfoundland and Labrador

In 1940 Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed to an exchange of American destroyers for access to British naval bases in the Atlantic, including Newfoundland.

Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill

The Churchill, its décor, facilities and in-house outlets reference Sir Winston Churchill and the local area's history.

Ignatius Spencer

George was the youngest of seven children whose descendents would include Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales.

J. C. C. Davidson, 1st Viscount Davidson

In this post he was forced to deal with cuts in naval expenditure proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Winston Churchill, especially regarding the construction of new cruisers.

J. Leonard Reinsch

He assisted the White House Press Secretary office in 1945, during the transition from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to President Harry Truman, and advised Winston Churchill on his 1946 "Iron Curtain" speech.

Jacob E. Smart

In this position, he was involved with the planning of the invasion of Europe and participated in the meeting between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Casablanca, Morocco in 1943.

James Lonsdale-Bryans

When Winston Churchill succeeded Chamberlain as Prime Minister, Lord Halifax remained as Foreign Secretary until, in January 1941, he was sent to Washington as British Ambassador.

Joan de Geneville, 2nd Baroness Geneville

Lady Geneville's numerous direct descendants include the current British Royal Family, Sir Winston Churchill, and the 1st American President George Washington.

Joe Mears

Mears was a Royal Marine during the Second World War, and his duties included the security arrangements for Prime Minister Winston Churchill's bunker.

Labor Standards Act of 1947

As the Second World War was nearing its end, on 26 July 1945, Allied leaders Winston Churchill, Harry S Truman, and Chiang Kai-Shek issued the Potsdam Declaration, which demanded Japan's unconditional surrender.

Lac-Édouard, Quebec

The Triton Fish and Game Club, today the Seigneurie du Triton is the most prestigious club hunting and fishing in Quebec and received illustrious members in particular Winston Churchill (Prime Minister of the England) and American presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman, as well as family members of Rockefeller and Molson.

Lancelot Royle

He rejoined the Royal Artillery, but was asked by the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill to be co-chairman of the Macharg/Royle Treasury Committee and then to take on the Chairmanship of NAAFI.

Lapsang souchong

It was Sir Winston Churchill's preferred tea, a habit which he acquired together with cigar smoking early in his military career while in Cuba, and always brought him a reminder of his campaign days of youth.

Loch Ryan

The loch was used by Winston Churchill when he departed from Stranraer in a Boeing Flying boat on 25 June 1942 when making his second visit of the war to the USA.

Maria Sergeyeva

Despite her reputation as a Russian nationalist, she considers herself a fan of Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill, and others she describes as "independent thinkers".

Martial Race

Winston Churchill was reportedly concerned that the theory was abandoned during the war and wrote to the Commander-in-Chief, India that he must, "rely as much as possible on the martial races".

Maurice Mességué

In his autobiography he claims to have treated, among others, Winston Churchill, Chancellor Adenauer of Germany, and the future Pope John XXIII.

Melnik, Bulgaria

The local wine from the varietal Broad Leave Melnik Vine was reportedly a favourite of Winston Churchill's.

Merchant Shipping Act 1906

It was part of a number of acts introduced by David Lloyd George, and later Winston Churchill, as President of the Board of Trade, to improve conditions for workers.

Milada Horáková

Many famous people, notably Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill and Eleanor Roosevelt, petitioned for her life, but the sentence was confirmed and she was executed in Pankrác Prison on 27 June 1950 by particularly torturous intentionally slow strangulation, which according to historians took 15 minutes.

Miles Henry Davis

He purchased his stock for the program from Miles Davis, who imported his strain from Sir Winston Churchill's farm in England.

Momčilo Ninčić

The chapter on the tragedy of Mihailović casts a new light on Winston Churchill's wartime role in Yugoslav affairs and the decisive roles played by British officers acting as individuals.

Mui Tsai

In 1922 after press campaigns in Britain, Winston Churchill, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, pledged that the Mui Tsai system in Hong Kong would be abolished within one year.

Murat Shrine

In its early days it featured Broadway plays and even a 1932 speech by Winston Churchill.

Nananu-i-Cake

Because of Harold's position of Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party under Sir Winston Churchill and his social and political standing, several high-profile dignitaries visited and stayed on the island.

No. 175 Squadron RAF

The demonstration was a dress rehearsal for a visit by Winston Churchill and General George Marshall, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, which went ahead as planned three days later.

No. 9r

Work on the ship continued during the first months of the war until more concerns were expressed at the Admiralty; and on 12 March 1915 Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, cancelled the order for the ship.

Ol Donyo Sabuk

The other prominent person who had stayed in the house was the wartime British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

Penley

The hospital was founded following a decree from Sir Winston Churchill after World War II, to care for Polish ex-servicemen who fought alongside the Allies in World War II, as well as their families, who settled in the area.

Peter Barkworth

Later TV included the part of Stanley Baldwin in Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981), and the serials The Price (1985) and Late Starter (also 1985) in both of which he played angst-filled, middle-aged, middle class characters beset by marital problems in the context respectively of a kidnapping and the early retirement of an academic.

Pinecrest, Florida

Parrot Jungle was founded in 1936 by Franz and Louise Scherr on property located at Red Road and Southwest 111 Street and over the years became a world famous tourist attraction whose visitors included Sir Winston Churchill.

Placentia Bay

On 14 August 1941 NS Argentia located in Little Placentia Sound was the site of the Atlantic Conference for the Atlantic Charter, where Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met face to face for the first time since both took office and the start of World War II.

Pope Pius XII Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

According to Winston Churchill, not known as a Marian devotee, one can almost say, before El Alamein, we did not have a single victory, and after not a single defeat.

Prestonfield House

The estate was converted for use as hotel in the 1960s, and has since played host to Sandie Shaw, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Sean Connery, Elton John, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Oliver Reed.

Preterm birth

Historical figures who were born prematurely include Johannes Kepler (born in 1571 at 7 months gestation), Isaac Newton (born in 1642, small enough to fit into a quart mug, according to his mother), Winston Churchill (born in 1874 at 7 months gestation), and Anna Pavlova (born in 1885 at 7 months gestation).

RAF Twinwood Farm

Axis Museum - recreation of a German bunker, Russian and German artillery and weapons, and a display about Winston Churchill and the British Royal Family

Renner Springs, Northern Territory

The rock, on the east of the old highway, looks vaguely like a profile of Winston Churchill.

Richard M. Langworth

Richard M. Langworth CBE (born 1941- ) is a Moultonborough, New Hampshire- and Eleuthera, Bahamas-based author of books and magazine articles, specializing in automotive history and Winston S. Churchill.

Rugby by-election, 1942

Brown telegraphed Prime Minister Winston Churchill drawing attention to the reports asking if Churchill proposed to send a letter commending Holbrook to the electors of Rugby.

Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos

Their success brought the attention of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who incorporated the unit into the British Army, and given the title of "Commandos".

Sheffield Bach Choir

However, the choir also performs farther afield, participating in the Sixth Churchill Memorial Concert at Blenheim Palace in May 1971, performing in York Minster in June 1972 and at the Leeds Music Festival in 1981.

Soviet space program

“The USSR was famously described by Winston Churchill as ‘a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma’ and nothing signified this more than the search for the

Steel Curtain

The nickname "Steel Curtain", a play on the phrase "Iron Curtain" popularized by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, originated in a 1971 contest sponsored by Pittsburgh radio station WTAE to name the defense.

Sutherland's Portrait of Winston Churchill

In 1954, Graham Sutherland was commissioned to paint a full-length portrait of Sir Winston Churchill.

The Consumer Goods

Winston Churchill's unfortunate description of Iraq as an "ungrateful volcano" when Iraqis refused to comply with British subjugation after the First World War is the subject of the song of the same name

The Continent Makers

A sinister group concealing itself under the mask of the bogus Churchillian Society, supposedly dedicated to proving that the works of twentieth-century dramatist George Bernard Shaw were actually written by Winston Churchill, is attempting to discover the secrets of the project.

The History of the Runestaff

Yet other gods from the "tragic millennium" are based on 20th Century British Prime Ministers (Chirshil, the Howling God (Winston Churchill) and Aral Vilsn, the Roaring God (Harold Wilson), Supreme God) or writers: Bjrin Adass, the Singing God (Brian Aldiss); Jeajee Blad, the Groaning God (J. G. Ballard); Jh'Im Slas, the Weeping God (James Sallis).

The Secret of the Swordfish

Loosely based on Winston Churchill, a character similar to Grey is shown serving as the Prime Minister in The Yellow "M".

Thomas Richard Owen

While he was based in the Azores, one of his most memorable experiences was deciding, on meteorological grounds, whether it was suitable for Churchill and Roosevelt to hold their famous meeting in the mid-Atlantic.

VFA-15

The Valions were aboard the Ranger when it escorted the RMS Queen Mary, with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard, to the Quebec Conference in August 1943.

W. K. C. Guthrie

Returning to Cambridge after the war Guthrie was much in demand in his capacity as Orator, called upon to deliver Latin encomia in honour of such dignitaries as Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee, Jan Smuts, Nehru, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Viscount Slim and General Montgomery.

Walter E. Rogers

Rogers was the only member of the combined House of Representatives or Senate to vote against honorary citizenship for Winston Churchill in 1963.

Walton Heath Golf Club

Walton Heath has had a long association with royalty and politics, with Edward, Prince of Wales having been the club's first captain in 1935, and former United Kingdom Prime Ministers David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Andrew Bonar Law and Arthur Balfour all having been members.

Wendy Russell Reves

A first cousin of the conductor Sir Georg Solti and a literary agent for and close friend of Winston Churchill, Emery Reves described his wife as "a woman with a brilliant mind and imagination, tempered by much common sense. She is a woman who never bored me".

Western Desert Campaign

According to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the approximately 215,000 Italians in Libya faced approximately 35,000 British in Egypt.

Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, paraphrasing Churchill, quipped "Never has so much been surrendered by so many to so few."

William Lloyd George, 3rd Viscount Tenby

His father was a National Liberal politician who served as Home Secretary under Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden.

Wilson House, London

Wilson House is named after Charles Wilson, 1st Baron Moran, who was the Dean of St Mary's Hospital Medical School between 1920 and 1945 but became famous for being Sir Winston Churchill's personal physician, and also as the great-uncle of American film actor Owen Wilson.


Balmer Lawn

The hotel has hosted many famous guests throughout history including King George V, Russian Royalty, J.J. Sainsbury, Winston Churchill and U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington

Cecily Bonville had many notable descendants, including Lady Jane Grey, Lady Catherine Grey, Elizabeth FitzGerald, Countess of Lincoln, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, Elizabeth Vernon, Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset, Sir Winston Churchill, as well as those who are living today which include Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Sarah, Duchess of York.

Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry

Through his daughter Lady Frances, Lord Londonderry was the great-grandfather of Winston Churchill.

Churchill, Victoria

The town was named in honour of former British leader Sir Winston Churchill.

Daniel Knox, 6th Earl of Ranfurly

Following the end of World War II, Lord Ranfurly worked briefly in insurance at Lloyd's of London, not long after being appointed Governor of the Bahamas by Winston Churchill.

Ewald von Kleist-Schmenzin

He used his contacts with Winston Churchill and Robert Vansittart to try to shift British policy away from one of appeasement to one based more on the use of force.

Generalissimus of the Soviet Union

However, according to Stalin biographer Robert Service, Stalin regretted allowing himself the ostentatious military title, and asked Winston Churchill to continue to refer to him as a marshal instead.

Goffs School

Goffs School consists of six houses, each named after an influential person from history: Brontë, Churchill, Columbus, Curie, Mandela and Monet.

GURPS Wild Cards

Data and characters are drawn from Wild Cards volumes I-V, including a history of the Wild Cards world, the Wild Card virus, over 50 super-characters, variant historical characters (e.g., Castro, Churchill, Gandhi, Franco, et al.), a description of Jokertown, the major Wild Card organizations, and the various aliens (the Takisians, the Swam, the Network group).

Human rights in the United Kingdom

The initiative in producing a legally binding human rights agreement had already been taken by the International Council of the European Movement, an organisation whose cause had been championed by Winston Churchill and Harold Macmillan, and whose international juridical section (counting Lauterpacht and Maxwell Fyfe amongst its members) had produced a draft convention.

Jack Higgins

Its plot (concerned with a German commando unit sent into England to kidnap Winston Churchill) was fresh and innovative (although the plot is clearly reminiscent of Alberto Cavalcanti's wartime film Went the Day Well?, which itself was directly based on the 1942 Graham Greene short story The Lieutenant Died Last), and the characters had significantly more depth than in his earlier work.

James E. Robinson

Robinson is a sixth cousin once removed of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and is an ancestor (maternal great grandfather) of President George W. Bush.

John Chataway

He was a descendant of the Chataway who surveyed the ManitobaOntario border, distant cousin of Christopher Chataway, and a great admirer of Winston Churchill.

Marquess of Reading

He notably held ministerial office from 1951 to 1957 in the Conservative administrations of Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden.

Mayals

During that time the Castle hosted many notable guests, including Adelina Patti, Neville Chamberlain, Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, and King Edward VIII and later on Jon and Carys Richards.

Order of St. Patrick

Prime Minister Winston Churchill suggested reviving the Order in 1943 to recognise the services of General The Hon.

Pat Heywood

Her film roles include parts in Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?, 10 Rillington Place (where she played Ethel Christie, the wife of serial killer John Christie), Young Winston (as Winston Churchill's nurse), Wish You Were Here (seen as Lynda's aunt Millie).

Phil M. Donnelly

Highlights of his first term as governor included overseeing the implementation of a new Missouri state constitution in 1946, creation of the Missouri Department of Revenue, and welcoming international statesman Winston Churchill to Fulton, Missouri for the famous Iron Curtain speech at Westminster College.

Philip Vian

Despite this, Vian received a personal letter of congratulation from Winston Churchill and he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE).

Repatriation of Cossacks after World War II

The agreements of the Yalta and Tehran Conferences, signed by President Roosevelt, Premier Joseph Stalin, and Prime Minister Churchill, determined the fates of the Cossacks who did not fight for the USSR, because many were POWs of the Nazis.

Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel

Pike and Walker listen to Hi Gang! which was a popular radio show during wartime, involving a line-up which included Vic Oliver, Winston Churchill's son-in-law.

Sontag Hotel

Several famous people also stayed at Sontag hotel while they paid a visit to Korea such as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American writer Mark Twain.

Vadim Kozin

In 1993, being interviewed by Theo Uittenbogaard in the TV documentary GOLD lost in Siberia, he remembered that he was released from exile temporarily and flown in to Yalta for a few hours, because Winston Churchill, being unaware of Kozin's forced exile, had asked Stalin for the famous singer Vadim Kozin to perform, during a break in the Yalta Conference, held February 4– February 11, 1945.

Victory of the Daleks

In the episode, the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) arrive in London during the Blitz, where Winston Churchill (Ian McNeice) has employed "Ironsides", a scientific creation from Professor Bracewell (Bill Paterson) to be used as weapons in the war effort.

Wilton Park

Wilton Park began on 12 January 1946 as part of an initiative inspired by Sir Winston Churchill, who in 1944 called for Britain to help establish a democracy in Germany after the second world war.

Zunfthaus zur Meisen

In 19th century, Gottfried Keller and Ferdinand Hodler were among the most famous guests of the former «Café zur Meisen», in the 20th century Gustaf V of Sweden, Winston Churchill, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Jimmy Carter.