Churchill Anniversary: Spirit of the British Bulldog Lives on

Fifty years ago, on January 24, Britain's wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill died, having led his country through the perils and misery of World War II. With his familiar cigar, V-sign gesture and brilliant oration, he became one of the most significant world leaders of his time.

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Winston Churchill, aged 5, in a sailor suit at his family home, in 1879. At this time Churchill was living with his parents and grandparents at The Litttle Lodge, near the Viceregal residence, in Dublin.

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Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire - the birthplace of Winston Churchill

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Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, gives his world famous V-sign, as he drives through cheering inhabitants of the town of Metz, in France, on July 14, 1946.

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Leaders of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, right to left: Joseph Stalin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. A scene from the documentary "The Great Patriotic War." 1979. Roman Karmen was the director and author of this project.

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Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech, describing Soviet influence over post-World War II Europe, at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., on March 5, 1946.

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Former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine leave the Elysee Palace in Paris on May 10, 1947 after a reception given in their honour.

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Winston Churchill, 61st British prime minister, inspecting one of the first street barricades, London, 1988.

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Royal Navy officers and men escort a gun carriage with the flag-draped coffin of Britain's wartime leader, Sir Winston Churchill, from St. Paul's Cathedral, London, Jan. 30, 1965.

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The Allies statue of Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt sitting on a bench in Mayfair by sculptor Lawrence Holofcener.

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Timothy Spall smokes a cigar while playing Winston Churchill at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in London on August 12, 2012.