Germany’s conquest of France begins, as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech to the House of Commons.

Winston Churchill’s “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat” speech, delivered on May 13, 1940, marked his first address to the House of Commons as Prime Minister during one of the darkest periods of World War II. The phrase itself—“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat”—has become iconic, encapsulating Churchill’s stark realism and unflinching resolve. In the speech, he didn’t sugarcoat the severity of the situation; instead, he rallied Parliament and the British public with a call for unity, sacrifice, and unwavering determination in the face of Nazi aggression. The speech emphasized that victory at all costs was the only acceptable outcome, and it laid the emotional and moral groundwork for Britain’s resistance. Churchill’s rhetoric was both sobering and galvanizing, combining grim honesty with an undercurrent of defiant hope—a hallmark of his wartime leadership style.