Winston Churchill: The Only Head Of State To Win The Nobel Literature Prize?

Even though he’s more famous for his exemplary statesmanship and leadership during the darkest days of World War II – did you also know that Winston Churchill is, so far, the only incumbent head-of-state who was awarded the Nobel Literature Prize? 

By: Ringo Bones 

To most of us, Winston Churchill is better known for his exemplary statesmanship that not only prevented the whole of the U.K. from falling into the clutches of Adolf Hitler’s NAZIs during World War II, but also for his leadership that eventually made freedom and the rule of law reign again across Europe that resulted in an Allied victory during the Second World War. But did you also know that Winston Churchill is, so far, the only incumbent head-of-state that won the Nobel Literature Prize? 

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, English statesman and writer was born at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, England on November 30, 1874, the son of Lord Randolph Churchill and his American wife, Jennie, Jerome. Educated at Harrow at Sandhurst, Winston Churchill entered the British Army as a subaltern in the Fourth Hussars in 1895. Soon afterwards while on leave, he participated in the Spanish campaign against Cuban insurrectionists as a correspondent; then, after a peaceful term of garrison life in the south of India, he attached himself, again as a correspondent, to a British force operating on the Northwest Frontier.

Returning to England in 1897, Churchill wanted to go to go to the Balkans where hostilities were under way, but instead made his way to Egypt and joined a Lancers regiment in Lord Kitchener’s army. Though Kitchener disliked Churchill because of his practice of combining journalism with soldiering, the young officer was not dismayed. He took a distinguished part in a famous cavalry charge at Omdurman and at the close of field operations resigned from the army to devote himself to politics, making an unsuccessful attempt to enter Parliament. 

Even though the Dardanelles Campaign / Gallipoli Campaign eventually became his “Waterloo” during his stint as the First Lord of the Admiralty in the British Royal Navy, Winston Churchill nonetheless became the Conservative Prime Minister of U.K. after defeating then U.K. PM Neville Chamberlain. Though the Dunkirk evacuation of May 27 to June 4, 1940 – code-named Operation Dynamo – seems like the “darkest hour” of World War II, Britain stood by Winston Churchill in lieu of his blood, toil, sweat and tears speech.

Even though the July 10 to October 31, 1940 Battle of Britain became Britain’s  “Finest Hour” of World War II after the 3 months and 3 weeks long battle for air superiority of the British airspace resulted in a decisive British victory, the “Battle of Britain” has an unusual distinction in that it gained its name prior to being fought. The name is derived from a famous speech delivered by the then Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the House of Commons more than three weeks prior to the generally accepted date for the start of the battle. Nevertheless, the decisive victory of the Battle of Britain eventually bolstered the statesmanship of Winston Churchill that led to the success of the D-Day landings in June 6, 1944, 4 years and 2 days after the last day of the Dunkirk evacuation. 

By July 1945, the British people elected a majority of Labour Party members to the House of Commons and Clement Attlee became Prime Minister. After his defeat in the polls, Churchill resumed his position as a leader of the opposition. He visited the United States in 1946 and in a speech at Fulton, Missouri, gave wide currency to the term “Iron Curtain” as describing the wall of secrecy behind which the then Soviet government operated. 

With a narrow Conservative Party victory in the general elections of October 1951, Winston Churchill once more became Prime Minister. Not only was Churchill knighted by Queen Elizabeth II back in 1953, Churchill was also awarded the Nobel Literature Prize on that year on his “historical and biographical description and brilliant oratory, making him the only incumbent head-of-state so far that was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. 

In April 1955, after more than 50 years of a distinguished political career, Sir Winston Churchill tendered to the queen his resignation as Prime Minister. He died in London on January 24, 1964. Following a state funeral service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, he was buried near Blenheim Palace. 

Zbigniew Brzezinski: Overlooked Nobel Peace Prize Laureate?

Even though he his past achievements made him a worthy nominee – even a laureate – why is it that Zbigniew Brzezinski was never considered for the Nobel Peace Prize? 

By: Ringo Bones 

For as long as I lived, I’ve yet to hear on a major news program “Zbigniew Brzezinski” and “Nobel Peace Prize” uttered on the same sentence. And this day and age, it seems like former US President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor can’t get ahead of the line of both Malala Yousafzai and Rebiya Kadeer for the Nobel Peace Prize. Sadly, it seems that no one of very powerful political influence these days have ever raised the idea of giving Brzezinski the Nobel Peace Prize even though he genuinely deserves it based on his accomplishments during the last 40 years. 

The highlight of Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski’s statesmanship was when he served as the 10^th US National Security Adviser under then US President Jimmy Carter from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981. If you ask me, the 1978 Camp David Accords between the then Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and then Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (that eventually made Sadat and Begin Nobel Peace Prize Laureates back in 1978) would not have happened without the “guidance” of Brzezinski. 

Now one of President Barack Obama’s main advisors on foreign politics and currently the Robert E. Osgood Professor of American Foreign Policy at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. A scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a member of various boards and councils, Brzezinski also appears frequently as an expert on the PBS program The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, ABC News’ This Week with Christiane Amanpour, MSNBC’s Morning Joe where his daughter Mika Brzezinski is co anchor and on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS. 

Born in Warsaw, Poland back in March 28, 1928, Zbigniew Brzezinski mainly grew up traveling wherever his father’s job, Tadeusz Brzezinski a Polish diplomat who was posted in Germany from 1931 to 1935, takes him. Zbigniew Brzezinski thus spent some of his earliest years witnessing the rise of the NAZIs. From 1936 to 1938 Tadeusz Brzezinski was posted to the then Soviet Union during Joseph Stalin’s Great Purge. In 1938, Tadeusz Brzezinski was posted to Canada. World War II had a profound effect on the young, impressionable Zbigniew Brzezinski who stated in an interview: “The extraordinary violence that was perpetrated against Poland did affect my perception of the world, and made me much more sensitive to the fact that a great ideal of world politics is a fundamental struggle.” 

As a statesman and political critic during his service as a National Security Advisor with the then US President Jimmy Carter and even on an advisory capacity during the Reagan years, Zbigniew Brzezinski’s “hawkish” East-West focus is tempered by his pragmatism to work with the preexisting geopolitical situation at the time by using the preexisting geopolitical climate to his advantage in establishing peace treaties.  Zbigniew Brzezinski also has a knack for “peacefully” defeating an enemy by providing much needed human rights to an oppressed and marginalized citizenry of a typical despotic nation-state of the time. Even though Sadat and Begin won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 and Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of uniting efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights and to promote economic and social development”. It seems that Zbigniew Brzezinski got left out of the Nobel Peace Prize that his colleagues who worked hard to make the 1980s relatively peaceful geopolitically eventually won. 

A Year Without A Nobel Peace Prize Laureate: Like A Year Without…?

Even though it had happened several times since the establishment of the Nobel Prize Committee, did you know that there are years where there are no Nobel Peace Prize winners? 

By: Ringo Bones 

Yes, it is true that it had happened several times since the Nobel Prize Committee had been giving their prestigious prizes out that there are years where no one – or an organization – got awarded with a Nobel Peace Prize. Even though U.S. President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize back in 2009, strangely, President Obama’s detractors who say that he didn’t deserve the Nobel Peace Prize “mysteriously” never seem to know that there are years where the Nobel Peace Prize was never given out. 

Those years where the Nobel Peace Prize was never given out first occurred from 1914 to 1916, which has probably something to do with no one trying to stop the outbreak of World War I and also in 1918. Other years where there are no Nobel Peace Laureates are 1928 and 1932. No Nobel Peace Prizes were also issued during 1939 to 1943, which has probably also something to do with no one person or organization trying to stop the outbreak of World War II. 

No Nobel Prizes were also awarded in the year 1948 and also during 1955 and 1956. And the last ever year in the 20^th Century where no Nobel Peace Prizes were given out was in 1966. And from then on, not a single Nobel Peace Prize-free year went by. Despite scores of Nobel Peace Prize free years, President Obama’s detractors never proposed that 2009 should be a Nobel Peace Prize free year. 

Malala Yousefzai: 2013 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate?

Ever since she was shot in the head by a Taliban assassin, has the women’s education rights campaigner Malala Yousafzai fast-tracked into the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize shortlist?

By: Ringo Bones

Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old girl who campaigned for girl’s and women’s education rights campaigner from Pakistan got inadvertently catapulted to worldwide fame when she defied a local despotic Taliban edict of her hometown in the Swat Valley region and got shot in the head by a Taliban assassin back in October 2012. Fortunately, she survived the assassination attempt and has since in recovery after an extensive medical operation in Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Malala Yousafzai’s assassination attempt and recovery not only catapulted her into the global stage but also her cause s well of women’s educational rights in a largely despotic and misogynistic Taliban run tribal region of Swat Valley in Pakistan. Has it also fast-tracked her to the shortlist of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize? 

Malala Yousafzai may had been fast-tracked into the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize shortlist may be good news for those with concerns over those places ran by despotic and misogynic theocracies with Al-Qaeda sympathies whose women were treated like second-class citizens. But some people may play the “Devil’s Advocate” role on Malala’s Nobel Peace Prize credentials because she had “skipped ahead” of other Nobel Peace Prize worthy people that had since in line for their own Nobel Peace Prize since 2010, like Uyghur human rights campaigner Rebiya Kadeer. Though given the circumstances involved, Rebiya Kadeer probably doesn’t mind if Malala Yousafzai was the one who will win the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. 

The European Union’s Nobel Peace Prize: Controversial Honor?

Even though current EU president Jose Manuel Barroso say’s it’s an honor for the European Union to be the 2012’s Nobel Peace laureate – but is this a rather controversial bestowment of honor?

By: Ringo Bones

The European Union winning the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize further reinforces outsiders’ perceptions yet again that the Nobel Peace Prize is the most controversial of all the Nobel Prizes annually awarded. Although the five-person Nobel Peace Prize Committee elected by the Norwegian Storting (Parliament) did give justification on why they unanimously awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to the EU – namely the European Union’s promoting reconciliation since World War II despite of the political and diplomatic obstacles posed by the Cold War. And after the 20^th Century’s two terrible world wars are largely waged on the European continent, this is no mean feat indeed.

Despite of the current Eurozone debt crisis which seems the European Union is still formulating a lasting solution, incumbent EU president Jose Manuel Barroso not only expressed that EU winning this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is an honor but also proves that the EU is something very precious. Sadly, the monetary funds of the Nobel Peace Prize only amounts to around 1.1 million US dollars – which is 14% down from last year after a difficult global economy affected the Nobel Prize Committee’s hedge fund earnings financing the prizes. Meaning the prize is far too small to be used to bail out the Eurozone debt crisis. Well, at least the Nobel Peace Prize also comes with a 23-karat gold medal about two and a half inches across that weigh nearly half a pound and designed by Swedish sculptor Erik Lindberg, and don’t forget that uniquely designed diploma that resembles a medieval illuminated manuscript.

Despite the moans and groans of those who didn’t agree with the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee awarding this year’s Nobel peace Prize to the European Union, the other worthy contender – a 14-year-old girl blogger from Pakistan named Malala Yousafzai who was busy campaigning for girl’s basic education that was shot by the Taliban last week – wasn’t nominated early enough for the February 2012 deadline for the Nobel Peace Prize nominees for this year. Well, at least there’s still next year’s Nobel Peace Prize to consider. 

Is The Nobel Foundation Running Out Of Money?

Does the recent cut-back in the cash portion of the annual Nobel Prizes mean that the Nobel Foundation is running out of money? 

By: Ringo Bones 

It was announced back in June 14, 2012 that the Nobel Foundation will be undergoing a cash prize reduction of their cash prizes that goes with the Nobel Prizes by as much as 20% due to the “tough economy”. Does this mean that the Nobel foundation – which got its start from the initial investment stipulated in Alfred Nobel’s will, is now finally running out of money? 

 The decision for the foundation to opt for a 20% cash prize reduction seems odd given that the Nobel Foundation started handing out annual economics prizes since 1969. Can’t they “hire” these gifted Nobel Economics Prize laureates for an advice in restructuring their finances as to make the 20% reduction in the monetary prizes unnecessary? 

From a historical perspective, the austere fiscal environment of our post 2008 global credit crunch world would seem like a mere “rainy day” compared to what the global turmoil Alfred Nobel’s initial investment went through. As in two world wars that killed millions, the Wall Street financial crash of October 1929 that resulted in the Great Depression. Not to mention a “Cold War” where two global superpowers nearly brought us mutually assured destruction. 

It is worth noting that the Nobel foundation started when Alfred Nobel, in his will, provided that the major portion of his fortune be utilized in the following manner: the capital – about US$8,311,000 at the then prevailing rate of exchange – was to be invested by the executors in reliable securities, thereby forming a fund, the interest of which, was to be distributed annually “in the form of prizes to those who have, during the preceding year, conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” 

Since it started, the prize fund had grown by adding a stipulated part of the annual yield and by a given part of such prize money as is not awarded. Variations in the prize amounts were previously maintained due to taxation, from which the Nobel Foundation has now, however, been practically exempted; at present they depend on the market, as the prizes are based on the annual yield of the fund capital.

Since 1948, the prizes have increased from about US$32,000 to more than US$50,000 each. The prize amounts in the first five prize categories during the same year are always alike but can, as said before, be divided. There is no formal objection against the same individual receiving a Nobel Prize more than once either in the same field or in another one. If a person is awarded a prize and declines it, he or she is still considered a Nobel Prize winner. 

The cash portion of the prize, then and now, has always has a bread-and-butter aspect that goes with the joy of winning a Nobel Prize. The money allows some recipients to carry their research forward: in the case of Marie and Pierre Curie, for example, who together won half of the money of the 1903 award for physics – the other half, by the way, went to Antoine Henri Becquerel. The stipend allowed Pierre Curie to give up his teaching job and concentrate on research. Could Pierre Curie be able to quit his teaching job if there was 20% reduction Nobel Physics Prize money?