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Curated playlist

First Lords of the Treasury

  • David CameronDavid Cameron's last words in the Commons were "I was the future once." He said them in July 2016.
  • Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill escaped a prisoner-of-war camp in Pretoria by hiding on freight trains. It made him famous.
  • Neville ChamberlainNeville Chamberlain waved a single sheet of paper at a crowd after signing away part of Czechoslovakia.
  • Harold WilsonAt ten, Harold Wilson told his mother he would be prime minister. He went on to win four general elections.
  • David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George had to be smuggled out of Birmingham disguised as a policeman.
  • Margaret ThatcherMargaret Thatcher kept a portrait of her chemistry tutor on the wall at 10 Downing Street.
  • Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonWellington's mother called him her "awkward son Arthur." He later defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
  • William Pitt the YoungerWilliam Pitt the Younger became Britain's prime minister at 24, and critics predicted he would not last past Christmas.
  • Benjamin DisraeliBenjamin Disraeli bought a controlling stake in the Suez Canal within days in 1875.
  • Clement AttleeClement Attlee told the King, "I've won the election," and the King replied that he already knew.

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