Winston Churchill

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Inside a 'Mysterious, Scandalous Art Heist'
Inside a 'Mysterious,
Scandalous Art Heist'
longform
Dec 15, 2024 8:01 AM CST

Inside a 'Mysterious, Scandalous Art Heist'

The Walrus explores the unusual theft of a priceless Churchill photo from an Ottawa hotel

(Newser) - "I think this is the most scandalous, mysterious art heist in Canada in the twenty-first century," declares former FBI agent Robert K. Wittman, a specialist in such thefts. He was speaking to Brett Popplewell of the Walrus , who unpacks the unusual heist in question: In late 2021 or...

After Theft, Roaring Lion Is Back Home

Portrait of Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh that was stolen a few years ago is now back in Ottawa

(Newser) - A stolen portrait of Winston Churchill that was swapped with a forgery during the pandemic has returned to its rightful place, after two Ottawa police detectives traveled to Rome to retrieve it. Police said The Roaring Lion was stolen from the Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa, sometime between Christmas...

Police Track Down Famous Photo Swiped From Hotel

Stolen 'Roaring Lion' photo of Winston Churchill went from Canada to UK, then Italty

(Newser) - One of the most famous photos of one of the 20th century's most famous men is on its way back to its rightful home at a hotel in Canada's capital. Police in Ottawa say officers will travel to Rome later this month to retrieve the iconic "Roaring...

Churchill Hated This Portrait. Now You Can Buy It

Sotheby's to auction 1954 painting made in preparation for a larger work

(Newser) - A portrait of Winston Churchill by an artist whose work the British leader loathed went on display Tuesday at Churchill's birthplace ahead of an auction in June. The painting by modernist artist Graham Sutherland was made in preparation for a larger portrait that Churchill hated and was later destroyed—...

Solid Gold Toilet Stolen From Churchill's Birthplace
4 Charged in Theft
of $6M Gold Toilet
UPDATED
Nov 7, 2023 4:38 PM CST

4 Charged in Theft of $6M Gold Toilet

Artwork was stolen in 2019 from mansion where Winston Churchill was born

(Newser) - Four men were charged Monday over the theft of an 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace, the English country mansion where Winston Churchill was born. The toilet, valued at $5.95 million, was an artwork titled "America" and intended as a pointed satire about excessive wealth by Italian conceptual...

New Book Examines Hitler's Fatal Miscalculation

Declaring war on US wasn't just madness, authors say

(Newser) - The fates of nations could have gone in various directions in early December 1941. Japan might have attacked British installations in Asia instead of Pearl Harbor. Italy and the Vichy government of France could have followed through on negotiations to form a close alliance. And Adolf Hitler might have avoided...

Angelina Jolie's Churchill Painting Sets Auction Record

Former British prime minister's 'most important work' sells for almost $10M

(Newser) - A painting by former British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill has just sold for an auction record, making Angelina Jolie millions of dollars richer. The actress had offered up The Tower Of The Koutoubia Mosque, which Churchill painted in Marrakech, Morroco, during World War II. An anonymous buyer nabbed it...

Google Explains Why Churchill's Photo Vanished

Its disappearance was a tech glitch, not a statement, company says

(Newser) - Winston Churchill is back, and Google says his temporary disappearance wasn't some kind of political statement. As the BBC explains, images of the former British prime minister disappeared during searches of his name or related topics. Many thought there was something fishy going on, especially since Churchill's statue...

Boris Johnson Boots 21 MPs, Including Churchill's Grandson

The move erases his Conservative majority, but an election looks imminent

(Newser) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has knocked 21 members of Parliament from his Conservative Party after they stood against him in his first House of Commons vote on Tuesday, putting in motion what will be the third general election in four years. Nearly all of the MPs who joined opposition...

Huckabee Watches Movie, Compares Trump to Churchill
Huckabee Likens Trump to
Churchill, Gets Shot Down
THE RUNDOWN
Dec 27, 2017 5:15 AM CST

Huckabee Likens Trump to Churchill, Gets Shot Down

Some historians call comparison 'ridiculous'

(Newser) - Is President Trump the Winston Churchill of our times and Barack Obama the Neville Chamberlain, or does Mike Huckabee need to learn more about history? Some historians suggested the latter after Huckabee watched the new Churchill biographical movie The Darkest Hour and likened Trump to the British wartime leader. "...

Winston Churchill's Last Painting Is Going on Sale

The prime minister painted 544 pieces over his life

(Newser) - Next month, the last painting ever completed by Winston Churchill is going on sale at auction, and it's expected to bring in upwards of $100,000, Sky News reports. The former prime minister finished "The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell" in 1962 and gave it to his bodyguard, Sergeant...

Winston Churchill Was Pretty Sure We Aren't Alone in the Universe

According to a newly discovered essay penned by the former British PM

(Newser) - Winston Churchill had a lot more in common with Fox Mulder than we would have thought. Just weeks before Britain entered WWII, the former prime minister penned an essay titled Are We Alone in the Universe?, the BBC reports. His answer: Probably not. "I for one, am not so...

Churchill 'Turning in His Grave' Over Transformers Filming

WWII prime minister's home covered in Nazi regalia

(Newser) - Veterans say Winston Churchill is "turning in his grave" after his former home was done up in Nazi regalia for filming on Transformers: The Last Knight, the Sun reports. According to the Guardian , Blenheim Palace in England was outfitted in massive swastika-emblazoned flags and patrolled by Nazi stormtroopers for...

UK Begins Phasing Out Paper Money

New plastic note features Winston Churchill

(Newser) - The Bank of England introduced a five-pound note Thursday that marks the beginning of the end of a three-century run for paper money in the UK, reports the Guardian . This particular note is made of a thin plastic and designed to last more than twice as long as its paper...

Donald Rumsfeld Develops 'Diabolical' Solitaire App

He's behind a new iPhone, iPad app inspired by Winston Churchill

(Newser) - Meet Donald Rumsfeld, app developer. Yes, the 83-year-old former defense secretary is behind Churchill Solitaire , available on iPhones and iPads as of last week, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rumsfeld says that while he was US ambassador to NATO in Brussels in 1973, he learned the version of solitaire Winston...

Winston Churchill's Blood Being Auctioned

A nurse kept it after British leader was hospitalized

(Newser) - Winston Churchill fractured a hip at age 87 and stayed in a London hospital, leaving behind a vial of his own blood. Now it's resurfaced for auction and could fetch hundreds of dollars, the Guardian reports. "It is impossible to put an accurate estimate on this unique piece...

Churchill's Last Surviving Child Dies

Mary Soames passes just ahead of 70th anniversary of D-Day

(Newser) - Mary Soames, the last surviving child of British World War II leader Winston Churchill, has died. She was 91. "She was a distinguished writer and led a distinguished life, with her service in the war, and is part of that generation which is passing," her son, Nicholas Soames,...

New £5 Note to Feature Winston Churchill

New note will begin circulation in 2016

(Newser) - Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill will be immortalized on the new £5 note, reports the BBC . The redesigned bills are due to start circulating in 2016, and the new £5 note will feature a 1941 image of Churchill on the reverse of the note, along with his famous...

Brits Planned Ships Made of Ice During WWII

And New Zealand tested underwater 'Tsunami Bombs'

(Newser) - Winston Churchill was so afraid of Nazi submarines targeting supply ships during WWII that he flirted with building aircraft carriers out of sheer ice, New Scientist reports. Knowing Britain could starve without US supplies, he approved a test project aimed at delivering 2,000-foot-long ice ships with 40-foot hulls that...

OMG Is Way Older Than You Think

Abbreviation first appeared in letter to Winston Churchill

(Newser) - The next time you tap out the letters OMG, take a moment to give a nod to British Admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher. The now-ubiquitous abbreviation may have first appeared in his correspondence with Winston Churchill back in 1917, reports io9.com by way of Letters of Note . It located the...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser