The story of Winston Churchill's education and life through politics and war did not begin as one might expect. More often than not, fictional stories usually depict our main character as a man of small things who climbs the social ladder through his own accomplishments and intelligence. Instead, Churchill began and ended his long life as a privileged being, but it is in the middle that the most interesting facts lie. Winston Churchill is the most influential man in European history. From a boy who hated school to a man who could influence another with a single speech, his personal change was radical; but so was the change he brought to the world and to Britain. On November 30, 1874, Winston Leonard Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace (Black 40). His father was Lord Randolph; a persistent politician who spent much of his time working for the Liberal Party. His mother was Jennie Jerome; a young woman who was the daughter of an American millionaire (41 years old). Throughout his life, Churchill did not reflect too fondly on his parents who were always distant from their son. When Churchill was two years old, the family moved to Ireland where Lord Randolph was to work for his father, the Duke of Marlborough. He did not have a very close relationship with his parents, especially his father (Black 42). Churchill remembers his mother's death: "She shone for me like the evening star. I loved him dearly – but from a distance” (Dell 627). He spent much of his time with his nanny, who tried to teach him math, reading, and writing (Black 46). Very often, Lord Randolph was absent for political reasons while Jennie Jerome enjoyed the social life that a young woman could have at that time. They remained middle of paper......he belligerent, especially when the Cold War almost turned into a full-blown war, he was a man of many words who could influence the opinions of many. A single speech could turn the perspective of an entire country in the exact opposite direction, and with this skill Britain became a world leader in the previous half of the 20th century. Sir Winston Churchill lived a full life. Although his death may have been grim, his message was clear: “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it” (Dell 259) and so it was. Works Cited Black, Mark. Winston Churchill: A Very Brief History. Seattle: Kindle Direct and Kindle tablet app. Dell, Jim. Memorable quotes from Winston Churchill. Seattle: Kindle Direct, 2012. Kindle tablet app. “Collection of John Petrie”. Winston Churchill's greatest quotes. Np, and Web. March 18. 2014.