Back on this date in 1963, British statesman Winston Churchill became the first person to be granted honorary U.S. citizenship. Churchill didn't have much time to enjoy any benefits that might have accrued; he died less than two years later, 70 years to the day after his father had died. (来源：EnglishCN.com)

That late-life honor was one of many earned over Churchill's long life. Despite serious bouts of depression—which he nicknamed the black dog—and a family motto that translates as "Faithful but Unfortunate," Sir Winston Churchill served his country as a military man and statesman and he earned a place in the arts community as both a Nobel Prize winner for Literature and a prolific and well-respected painter. He also left admirers of a well-turned phrase with a number of marvelous stories worth re-telling.

In addition to his wartime efforts to (and we quote Edward R. Murrow) "send the English language into battle"—remember the thrilling Churchillian blood, toil, tears, and sweat?—Churchill also rued a run of bad luck in 1922 with these words: "In a twinkling of an eye, I found myself without an office, without a seat, without a party, and without an appendix."

Our favorite Churchillian account dates to the early 1930s, when Lady Astor and Winston Churchill engaged in a frank and open debate at a party. The exasperated Lady Astor finally exclaimed, "Winston, if I were married to you, I'd put poison in your coffee!" Only to be told, "Nancy, if I were your husband I'd drink it."