Famous World War Two Leaders
HIROHITO
Born: April 29, 1901, Tokyo, Japan
•Died:January 7, 1989, Tokyo, Japan
•Height: 1.65 m
•Wife : Empress Kojun
•Children: Prince Hitachi, Takako Shimazu, Shigeko Higashikuni, Atsuko
Ikeda, Kazuko Takatsukasa, Sachiko, Princess Hisa
•Parents: Emperor Taishō, Empress Teimei
Hirohito
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Hirohito was born in Tokyo on 29 April 1901, the eldest son of Crown Prince Yoshihito. His father became
emperor when Hirohito was 11.
In 1921, Hirohito went on a six-month tour of Europe, becoming the first member of the Japanese imperial
family to travel abroad. He married an princess, Nagako, in 1924 and they had seven children. Hirohito
became emperor when his father died in 1926.
The emperor was regarded as divine by many Japanese. He reluctantly supported the invasion of Manchuria
and the war against China, and attempted to encourage cooperation with Britain and the USA. However, he
had no choice but to approve the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that led to war between Japan and the
United States in December 1941. Despite his lack of enthusiasm over the decision to go to war, he was pleased
with the Japanese military and naval successes that followed. He frequently appeared in military uniform to
raise morale.
By the spring of 1945 the Japanese government was deeply divided between military leaders who favoured
continuing the war and civilians who wanted to arrange for peace. Hirohito appears to have favoured peace.
Following the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hirohito insisted that Japan surrender. On 15
August 1945, he made a radio broadcast announcing the end of the war - this was the first time the people of
Japan had heard the voice of their emperor.
In the post-war years, Hirohito travelled throughout Japan to see the progress of reconstruction and to win
popularity for the imperial family. He also represented Japan abroad. He was very interested in marine biology
and published numerous scholarly works in this field.
Hirohito died of cancer on 7 January 1989 at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo and was succeeded by his son
Akihito.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDUfLX0mTA
Franklin D Roosevelt ( 1882-1945)
Born: January 30th 1882, Hyde Park, New York, United States.
Died: April 12th 1945, Warm springs, Georgia, United States.
Presidential term: March 4th 1933 – April 12th, 1945.
Children: James Roosevelt, Elliot Roosevelt, Franklin
Delano Roosevelt, Jr., Anna Roosevelt Halsted, John Aspin
wall Roosevelt.
Vice Presidents: Henry A. Wallace, Henry S. Truman, John
Nance Garner.
Franklin D Roosevelt
Early Life
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on 30 January 1882 at his family's estate in New York
State. His father was a businessman. He attended Harvard and Columbia University Law
Schoool. In 1905, he married Eleanor Roosevelt, a distant cousin and niece of President
Theodore Roosevelt. Five years later, Roosevelt was elected to the New York Senate, where he
quickly came to national attention as a rising Democratic politician. From 1913 to 1920 which included the years of World War One - Roosevelt was assistant secretary of the navy,
where he achieved a reputation as a capable young administrator.
• Late life
In 1921, Roosevelt suddenly fell ill with polio and was left unable to walk without braces or a
cane. It seemed to signal the end of his career, but through his determination and the support
of his wife, who often acted as his substitute at political meetings, he returned to work. In
1928, Roosevelt was elected governor of New York and in 1932. Franklin D Roosevelt was
elected President of the United States of America when the Great Depression was at its worst.
Roosevelt won a second term in 1936 and an unprecedented third term in 1940. While
keeping America out of World War Two, he provided financial assistance and equipment to
Britain and its allies. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour brought America into the war and
Roosevelt took the lead in establishing a grand alliance among the countries fighting the Axis
powers. He also devoted time to the planning of the post-war workload, particularly the
establishment of the United Nations. Roosevelt died in office on 12 April 1945, less than a
month before Germany's unconditional surrender.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE
Winston Churchill
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Born: 30th November 1874 Woodstock
Died: January 24th 1965 Hyde Park
Buried: St Marys Church , Blandon
Education: Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (1894), Harrow School, St Gorges
School ,Stoke Brunswick School
Winston Churchill
Early Life
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on 30 November 1874 at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
His father was the prominent Tory politician, Lord Randolph Churchill. Churchill attended the Royal
Military College, Sandhurst, before embarking on an army career. He saw action on the North West
Frontier of India and in the Sudan. While working as a journalist during the Boer War he was captured
and made a prisoner-of-war before escaping. In 1900, Churchill became Conservative member of
parliament for Oldham. But he became disaffected with his party and in 1904 joined the Liberal Party.
Why Was Churchill so famous?
Winston Churchill was Prime Minister for most of the Second. He was famous for his speeches and for his
refusal to give in, even when were a its worst. For some time he was one of the most famous person in
Britain.
Late Life
Winston Churchill married Clementine Hosier in 1908, and had 5 children named Diana, Randolph,
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Sarah, Marigold and Mary. In 1910 Churchill became Home Secretary, one of the most important members of the government. In 1911 he was made First Lord of
the Admiralty, which put him in charge of the Royal Navy. When World War I broke out, he stayed in that job. He organized an invasion in Gallipoli which went
wrong, and because of this, he was made to leave the government. He joined the army and was sent to fight in France, although he was still a Member of
Parliament. In 1917 he was made minister in charge of military supplies. At the start of World War II, Churchill was again put in charge of the Navy. In 1940 the
war was going badly for Britain, and the Prime Minister resigned. Churchill was given the job. Some people thought that Britain could not win the war, and that
the British government should make peace with Hitler. Churchill was sure that Britain could win, and promised to continue the fight. He made famous speeches
that are still remembered today.
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He was friends with the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. He persuaded Roosevelt to give supplies to Britain, and to help Britain. He had
many meetings with Roosevelt and with Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, after they came into the war. They were called the Big Three
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In 1945, his Conservative party lost an election, and he stopped being Prime Minister. However, he became Prime Minister again in 1951, which he was until
1955.
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He was knighted in 1953, and became Sir Winston, and also won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
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In 1955, he retired from being Prime Minister. In 1964, he retired from Parliament.
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Sir Winston died of a stroke at the age of 90, in 1965.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwrWUlq7Xk4
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