it was here in 1874 that winston leonard spencer-churchill was born. today blenheim and its sprawling grounds are open to the public to visit. sir winston grew up to become a war correspondent, a soldier, and eventually a politician. when he became prime minister, england was in its darkest hour. hitler's aggression had triggered world war ii. the germans defeated every european country that stood against them except the british isles. every day, the brave british expected the nazis to invade. more than tanks and soldiers, it was the words of prime minister churchill that heartening. >> "we shall fight on the beaches. we shall fight on the landing grounds. we shall fight in the fields and in the streets. we shall fight in the hills. we shall never surrender. >> that "never surrender" attitude gave the british the courage to fight on. throughout the war, churchill's speeches and radio broadcasts rallied a nation. >> let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties and so british empire and its commonwealth lasts for a thousand years, men will still say, "t