Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was the indefatigable prime minister of Britain during World War II and one of the greatest leaders and orators of the modern world.

Soldier, politician and finally prime minister, he was one of Britain's greatest 20th-century heroes. Churchill fought with the British Army in India and Sudan, and as a journalist was captured in South Africa (where his dispatches from the Boer War first brought him to public prominence). He became a member of Parliament in 1900 and remained an MP for over 64 years. One of the 20th century's most quotable wits, Churchill wrote a plethora of histories, biographies and memoirs, including the landmark four-volume A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. In 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was knighted that same year.

Famous quote:  “The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.”