Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill is best remembered as the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II. He served his country in a variety of ways, holding many high offices of state under four different prime ministers, as a member of Parliament for more than 60 years, and for serving two terms as prime minister. He was born at Blenheim Palace on November 30, 1874, and educated at Harrow and Sandhurst. His military service included periods spent in Cuba, India, the Sudan, and in France during World War I. Churchill's writing career began with pieces written for British newspapers while in the military. Some of his most famous works include Marlborough, a four-volume biography of his ancestor, the 1st Duke of Marlborough; The World Crisis, a four-volume history of World War I; The Second World War, a six-volume history; and A History of the English Speaking Peoples, a six-volume work was completed toward the end of his life. In 1953, Churchill received the Nobel Prize for Literature, in recognition of his extensive writing as well as for his speeches throughout a long, distinguished career as a statesman. That same year, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill died on January 24, 1965, at the age of 70.
