This day in history:
Winston Churchill delivers his “Sinews of Peace” address to an audience at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, stating in part:
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an “iron curtain” has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia…
The address would become famous for the use of the phrase “iron curtain” and mark one of the most memorable moments of the Cold War.
March 5, 1946 - 66 years ago today.
Winston Churchill inspecting the ruins of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin following the surrender of Germany.
“Attempting to bomb Britain into submission, the German Luftwaffe attacked the city of Ramsgate while Churchill was visiting in August 1940.
Taking cover in an underground shelter, he exchanged his trademark civilian hat for a steel helmet.
The city’s mayor forced him to discard his cigar, eliciting the rueful response, ‘There goes another good one.’”
Audio of Winston Churchill speaking at a celebration in honor of Thanksgiving, located within London’s Royal Albert Hall.
November 23, 1944 - 67 years ago today.
Winston Churchill at the age of seven.
1881.
Winston Churchill on a trip near El Alamein, Egypt to inspect Allied forces during WWII.
August 19, 1942.
The “Big Three”:
Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin at the Yalta Conference in February of 1945 to discuss how to deal with Europe Post-WWII.
During the conference a rather frail looking Roosevelt gave into many of Stalin’s demands given, leading to further conflicts in years to come during the Cold War.
Two months later FDR would pass away.
For many years the oil industry in Iran was controlled by Britain. However in 1951 it was nationalized with overwhelming support throughout Iran.
To combat these measures US and British forces led a coup against the democratically elected leader of Iran in August of 1953.
They helped install a leader who would support the west: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. He also turned out to be an authoritarian dictator.
During his 26 year rule of Iran Britain and the USA would make overwhelming sums of money from Iranian oil.
However the Shah faced a revolution in 1979 amid accusations of being the west’s puppet and allegations of brutal crimes against his own people. He fled into exile.
His replacement was Ayatollah Khomeini. Under Khomeini’s rule, Iran was turned into a theocracy, and became heavily anti-western. Under theocratic rule there has been a lack of civil rights and especially women’s rights. This is still the case today, a little over 30 years later.
August 19, 1953 - 58 years ago today.
Winston Churchill inspecting the Tommy Gun of a British soldier.
Hartlepool England, - July 31, 1940
