January 1, 1970

In December 1931, Churchill embarked on another tour in the US, this time a lucrative lecture tour. But this trip almost wiped out his life, not just his fortunes. On a dark winter’s night, forgetting that traffic comes from the opposite direction in the US, Churchill stepped out of a taxi to cross busy Fifth Avenue in New York – and met a car coming towards him. Seriously injured, he had to postpone his lecture tour while he recovered from his bruises. Ever the journalist, Churchill determined to turn his accident to his advantage and wrote up his experience in newspaper articles under the headings ‘I was conscious through it all’ and ‘My New York Misadventure’.

He even asked his friend, Oxford don and physicist Professor Frederick Lindemann, to calculate the speed of the car and the force of the impact. The response was ‘equivalent to two charges of buckshot fired point blank’.

He even persuaded his New York doctor to prescribe him medicinal alcohol to aid his recovery at a time of prohibition.

In his usual indefatigable style, Churchill resumed his tour. He went on to give lectures in Hartford, Springfield, Boston, St Louis, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Chicago, New York. Minneapolis and New Orleans (to name just some).

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