Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (November 30, 1874 - January 24, 1965) was born in Oxfordshire, England, of mixed English and American parentage. He would become a statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 -- during the Second World War -- and again from 1951 to 1955. Apart from two years between 1922 and 1924, he was a Member of Parliament from 1900 to 1964 as both a member of the Liberal Party and, later, as member and leader of the Conservative Party. Widely considered one of the 20th century's most significant figures, Churchill is seen as a victorious wartime leader who played an important role in defending Europe's liberal democracy against the spread of fascism. The following recording is Churchill's historic "This was their finest hour" speech delivered to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on June 18, 1940.