Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill passed away on January 24, 1965. For the past forty-seven years, Churchill has been remembered as a statesman, the man who got Britain through World War II, and a personality who was never without the perfect quip. We also think we know quite a bit about him which isn’t really true. To honor his memory, let’s separate fact from fiction about the man himself.

Quite a few of the myths don’t paint Churchill in the best light. For example, stories abound that he abused alcohol or was a poor student in school. These stories are quite easy to refute. Too many sources have told us that he did enjoy a drink for us to think he was a teetotaler, but we also know that he could go without alcohol. In fact, he once won a bet that he could go an entire year without a drink. It is thought that he himself greatly exaggerated his drinking as part of his persona, like the cigars with which he was frequently seen but rarely finished. As Churchill said “I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me.”

As for school, Churchill was actually very smart and a respectable student. His was self-deprecating, and this was picked up by others. This contributed to, if not caused, the myth that he lacked intelligence and did poorly at school. In fact, he showed remarkable intelligence with regards to the subjects he found most interesting and, although he did not distinguish himself in other subjects, he was by no means a poor student. At Sandhurst, he excelled in english, history, military tactics, and strategy. It’s a good thing too, as these skills were invaluable during World War II. Some blame this non-existent trouble in school with a learning disability. Upon closer inspection, a speech impediment is meant. He did have a speech impediment, but it was a lisp rather than a stutter, as we have been told. Regardless, Churchill had the right attitude about it, saying “my impediment is no hindrance.”

Other myths add luster to rather than tarnishing his legend. It is widely known that Alexander Fleming saved Churchill’s life, possibly even twice! It’s a great story, but it’s not true…in either instance. Legend has is that Churchill was saved from drowning in Scotland by local farm boy named Alex, who turned out to be Alexander Fleming. In gratitude, it is said that Churchill’s parents agreed to pay the boy’s tuition to attend medical school. The second “rescue” supposedly happened in 1943 when Churchill fell ill and was cured by Alex’s discovery; Penicillin. As for the first rescue, there is no record of Churchill ever coming close to drowning in Scotland or of Churchill’s father paying Fleming’s tuition. As Fleming was seven years younger than Churchill, it would have been virtually impossible even had he tried. Also, Churchill and Fleming themselves did not support these stories, which removes all doubt, as certainly one of them would have mentioned it if it had been true. What about the penicillin? There is no doubt that Fleming saved many lives with it, but not Churchill’s in 1943. There are clear records showing that he was treated successfully with sulfadiazine. These rescues do make for a fun story mingling two historical figures, but Fleming and Churchill’s legends will have to live separately.

Churchill’s ancestry is another source of legend. We hear that his relatives were Iroquois Native Americans and that others came to America on The Mayflower. Native American ancestry is thought to have come from Churchill’s mother, American heiress Jennie Jerome. There has been genealogical work done to determine if this is true and, thus far, the research has not shown any Native American lineage. However, there is no solid ruling on whether or not this is a myth. Churchill was very proud of his American heritage, and spoke of it often. However, did The Mayflower bring Churchill’s ancestors to the New World? It would appear that he can claim lineage from three different passengers! Another interesting note on his American roots, Churchill was descended from Revolutionary soldiers who fought for America’s freedom. That Revolutionary blood did him well when leading his country during WWII.

The truth about Winston Churchill is so monumental that we hardly need to embellish it with myths. If you ever need evidence of that which makes him a true legend, simply look up some of his famous quotations. It will give you much more insight into who he was as a man than any other historical source.