50 Speeches That Made the Modern World: Famous Speeches from Women's Rights to Human Rights

'The speeches here celebrate history - great events, great characters - but they also honour that mystery, without which we would all be the poorer' James Naughtie


Winston Churchill
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of central and eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia: all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow.

John F. Kennedy
All freemen, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a freeman, I take pride in the words:'Ich bin ein Berliner.'

George W. Bush
Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices; secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers; moms and dads, friends and neighbours. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.

Hillary Clinton
Let's stand with people who have courage, who have resilience. Let's stand with everyone who believes America's best days are ahead of us. For all of our challenges, I've never had more faith in our future - and if we work together ... I know our future will be brighter tomorrow than yesterday.