In this first of a series of posts I will feature under the category “Great Leaders”, I want to share with you the story of how the famous “Roaring Lion” Churchill photograph came about.

Turns out Yousuf Karsh, the photographer who took the shot, is largely responsible for the famous face Churchill made on that day:

Churchill’s cigar was ever present. I held out an ashtray, but he would not dispose of it. I went back to my camera and made sure that everything was all right technically. I waited; he continued to chomp vigorously at his cigar. I waited. Then I stepped toward him and, without premeditation, but ever so respectfully, I said, “Forgive me, sir,” and plucked the cigar out of his mouth. By the time I got back to my camera, he looked so belligerent he could have devoured me. It was at that instant that I took the photograph.

To find out more about this fascinating story, visit Michael Zhang’s post here. There you can also see the two photographies from that historic photo shoot in their full size glory.