Chronology Before World War II

November 30, 1874 – Winston  Spencer Churchill is born at Blenheim Palace, grandson of Duke of Marlborough.
1893 – Enrolled into the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
1895 – Commissioned as a cavalry officer into the Fourth Hussars.
January 24, 1895 – Churchill’s father, Lord Randolph Churchill (1849 -1895) dies.
1896-1897 – Serves in India.
1898 –  Serves in Sudan.  Sees action against Dervishes.
1899 – Loses election to House of Commons.
1899-1900 – Serves as journalist in South Africa during the Boer War.  Escapes from prison and becomes a national hero.
1900 – Elected to parliament as a Conservative MP for Oldham.
May 31, 1904 – Switches from Conservative to Liberal Party.
1905 – Named Under Secretary of State for the Colonies.
1906 – Publishes book on father, Lord Randolph Churchill.
May 1, 1907 – Named Privy Councillor.
April 1908 – Named President of the Board of Trade.
September 12, 1908 – Marries Clementine Hozier at age 34.
1910 – Named Home Secretary.
October 1911 – Named First Lord of the Admiralty.
August 1914 – World War I begins.
1915 – Following Dardenelles defeat, Churchill resigns from Cabinet.
1916 – Commands for six months the 6th Battalion Royal Scots fusiliers in the trenches of France.  Later resumes his political career.
July 1917 – Named Minister of Munitions (1917-1919).
November 1918 – Armistice.
January 1921 – Named Secretary of State for War (1919-1921).
February 1921 – Churchill named Secretary of State for the Colonies (1921-1922).
1922 – Defeated for reelection from Dundee.
1924 – Returns to the Conservative Party.  Reelected to Parliament.
November 1924 – Named Chancellor of the Exchequer (1924-1929).
1930s – Spends “Wilderness years” at Chartwell home.  Publishes My Early Life and Marlborough: His Life and Times and other books.
1939 – World War II begins; Germany invades Poland.
1939 – Named  First Lord of the Admiralty (1939-1940).
May 1940 – Named Prime Minister. Germany invades France.