Chronicling Churchill Library of Congress Exhibit Details British Statesmanís Role in History by Christine CubÈ Try whittling down the historical accomplishments of Winston Churchill to just one or two and see what you come up with. Canít do it, can you? Not to worryóneither could the Library of Congress, which just opened a major exhibition about Churchill and his extraordinary role in history titled "Churchill and the Great Republic." Even diehard history buffs would learn something new from this display, not only because of its extensive detail but also because it is the first comprehensive showing of Churchill material ever in the United States. The exhibit itself truly is a fascinating journey. It chronicles Churchillís every major, and quirky, life experience from his birth in England on Nov. 30, 1874, to his 1883 grade school report card (where the 8-year-old was noted as being "very naughty"), to his family and political career, which began in the British Parliament in 1900. According to the exhibit, Churchill followed the same political footsteps of his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, quickly becoming known for his "indefatigable energy and rhetorical eloquence." "Churc hill and the Great Republic" features more than 200 artifacts, including a historic letter written by Churchillís ancestor, the Duke of Marlborough, in 1706 as well as handwritten notes passed between Churchill and Averell Harriman as they rode in a noisy bomber to the 1942 Churchill-Stalin conference. The exhibit also begins and ends with video clips of some of Churchillís most famous speeches given either by him or credited to him in present-day life. Audio stations of his speeches are also located throughout the exhibit. Interesting fact: Churchill always spoke with a full set of notes even though he committed most of his speaking content to memory. The exhibit spans six sections, each with a different theme. "Stirring Affairs" covers the years from 1900 to 1931, when Churchill married Clementine Hozier and achieved both successes and failures in the political and military arenas. Another section, "The Finest Hour," carries Churchill through the 1930s as he tried to alert his nation and the world to the menace of Hitler and worked to get the United States involved in the war. In addition, the display contains two items on view for the first time: A previously unknown letter from Churchill to his cousin, the ninth Duke of Marlborough, about his participation in the Battle of Omdurmanówhere he rode in one of the last great cavalry charges of the British Army in the Sudanóand a version of the globe made in 1942 that was sent to Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt by U.S. Army Chief of Staff George Marshall as Christmas gifts to facilitate the war planning. According to the exhibit, Marshall was acting on a suggestion by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to send the 50-inch, 750-pound globes as gifts to Churchill and Roosevelt. Interestingly, before Americaís entry into World War II, Churchill engaged in an unprecedented correspondence with Roosevelt. These super-secret messages continued after Churchill became prime minister during the darkest days of the war. Some of the most intriguing material featured in the exhibit actually includes some fairly regular items, such as the black top hat Churchill wore, a large cigar box and a black-and-white polka-dotted bowtie. There is also an original oil painting Churchill created depicting flowers in a green vase, circa 1930s. Incidentally, Churchill was a very good painteróany experienced green thumb would be able to pick out the red gladiolus tucked into the back of the arrangement. There are some other more eerie artifacts as well, including an anonymous letter sent to Churchill at the White House during his visit there in June 1942. The neatly folded letter, postmarked in Denver, Colo., contained only two typewritten words in the center of the page: GO HOME. An expanded online version of "Churchill and the Great Republic," which allows users to see complete letters and documents, is available at www.loc.gov/exhibits. "Churchill and the Great Republic" runs through June 26 in the Northwest Gallery of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St., SE. For more information, please call (202) 707-2905 or visit www.loc.gov. Christine CubÈ is a freelance writer in Alexandria, Va.