I have four children and can only remember the birthday of the first. I know the month my wife and mother were born, but not the day or year; most of the time I can hardly remember my own birthday. But I remember the birthdays of Lincoln and Churchill. And tomorrow is the glow-worm’s birthday.
Sir Winston was born on November 30, 1874 and
Justin Lyons reminds us why it is important not to forget the great man. Eisenhower once said that Churchill "came nearer to fulfilling the requirements of greatness in any individual I have met in my lifetime. I have known finer and greater characters, wiser philosophers, more understanding personalities, but no greater man." Happy Birthday to Winston! 
The key element is courage. For all his other attributes, and they were many, it was the courage of his convictions, the courage to take charge when everything was at its grimmest point, the courage to make audacious decisions and accept the consequences of some failures, and the courage to face defeat, as well as victory, with gracious acceptance of the popular will.
As Wallace says in "Braveheart", people don’t follow titles, they follow courage.
He was great, in spite of the fact that he himself believed in his own greatness. His secret was complete faithfulness in the most important matters to his own conscience, utterly without regard to his career or the opinions of others. In a word, courage.