What do WWII battles, ballistic missiles, and the deadly brown tree snake have in common?
A prominent and influential Greek statesman and general of Athens during its golden age, Pericles was also a skilled orator. His celebrated Funeral Oration, delivered at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE) as a part of the annual public funeral for the war dead, was effectively a glorification of Athens' achievements designed to stir the spirits of a nation at war.
Demosthenes, a Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens, delivered his first speech at age 20, overcoming an inarticulate and stammering pronunciation by speaking with pebbles in his mouth. One of his most famous oratories, probably made in 351 BCE, warns against Philip II—the Macedonian king and father of Alexander the Great—as he sets out to conquer Greece. It was Demosthenes' first philippic denouncing the imperialist ambitions of the king. The term is still used today to describe a fiery, damning speech, or tirade.
Abraham Lincoln, who served as the 16th President of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865, made one of the greatest speeches in history when he delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. Just three minutes long and fewer than 275 words, it was made at the official dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, on the site of one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the Civil War. Lincoln's words rallied a nation and invoked the principles of human equality contained in the Declaration of Independence.
British statesman Winston Churchill is responsible for some of the most stirring and evocative speeches ever made, and remains one of the greatest orators in history. On June 4, 1940, he delivered his famous "we shall fight on the beaches speech." Later, in 1946, he coined the phrase "iron curtain" during his speech in Fulton, Missouri.
Nelson Mandela became an icon of democracy and social justice during his lifelong struggle against apartheid in South Africa. He made clear his opposition to institutionalized racism during his three-hour "I Am Prepared to Die" speech delivered from the dock on April 20, 1964, during the infamous Rivonia Trial. Mandela would eventually serve 27 years in prison before being released in 1990.
Arguably one of the most quoted lines from any speech in history, Martin Luther King Jr. uttered the famous words "I have a dream" on August 28, 1963 while speaking at the March on Washington. He was calling for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States.
Ronald Reagan was dubbed the "Great Communicator" for his public speaking abilities, skills the 40th President of the United States put to good use on several occasions, including the memorable moment when he urged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" while delivering a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987. The Berlin Wall fell two years later.
Regarded as one of the finest orators in modern politics, Barack Obama first established his reputation as a powerful, influential speaker in 2008 when he made his victory address to crowds in Chicago after his historic election win.
Theodore Roosevelt's "Duties of American Citizenship" speech delivered on January 26, 1883 was made while the future president of the United States was serving as a New York assemblyman. He's regarded today as one of the most influential of all White House incumbents, and that particular speech has been analyzed by the Speakers Institute for Roosevelt's speaking techniques and the way he was able to engage with his audience.
Alexander the Great made many oratories and declarations during his astonishing and unprecedented military campaign through Western Asia and Northeastern Africa. In one speech, delivered near the Hydaspes River in India sometime in 326 BCE, Alexander was forced to motivate his tired, reluctant, and homesick men by declaring, "I will make those who stay the envy of those who return." Pictured is Alexander the Great defeating the forces of the Persian king Darius III as depicted on a Roman mosaic discovered at Pompeii.
William Wilberfoce was a British politician instrumental in abolishing the slave trade. His famous abolition speech delivered to parliament on May 12, 1789 effectively called for an end to Great Britain's participation in the transatlantic slave trade. He subsequently headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for nearly 20 years until the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.
General Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Forces, escaped to England on June 15, 1940 ahead of the advancing German Army. De Gaulle was later given permission by Churchill to address the French nation on BBC radio, in which he exhorted its citizens not to give up hope and continue the struggle against the occupying forces and the Vichy Regime. This famous broadcast is known as "The Appeal of 18 June."
General George Washington's resignation as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army towards the end of the Revolutionary War was announced as part of a speech he made in front of the Continental Congress on December 23, 1784. Rejecting the temptation to make a grab for supreme power, Washington trembled as he made his decision, reading from notes written on parchment. He later served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797.
Statesman, lawyer, and scholar, Marcus Tullius Cicero is considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists. In 63 BCE, he made what's known as the "First Oration Against Catiline," effectively a devastating and very public denouncement of Lucius Sergius Catilina (Catiline to his friends), whom he accused of conspiring to overthrow his own (Cicero's) consulship and attempting to overthrow the Roman Republic.
"What to the slave is the Fourth of July?" asked social reformer, abolitionist, writer, and statesman Frederick Douglass during a speech in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852. His audience gasped in shock, but when Douglass finished speaking, the crowd erupted into applause.
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings attributed to Jesus Christ, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew. No speech has been more pondered, more influential, or more quoted, and it includes the widely recited Lord's Prayer.
Adolf Hitler's rhetorical skills were honed in the beer halls of Munich during the 1920s. By the following decade, the Nazi leader was addressing hundreds of thousands at Nuremberg. Hitler had early on recognized the power of the spoken word, writing in Mein Kampf in 1925: "I know that men are won over less by the written than by the spoken word, that every great movement on this earth owes its growth to great orators and not to great writers."
Hitler's Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels was an equally accomplished public speaker, his unscrupulous instincts and powerful voice ably suited to the overblown political rhetoric of the Nazi Party.
During her near 10 years in power as Britain's first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher provided some of the UK's most memorable political soundbites. She uttered one of her most famous catchphrases during a speech at a party conference in 1980 when she boldly defied her critics by saying: "You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning." Thatcher's fighting spirit and stern expression led many commentators to label her as the "Iron Lady," and she was known for her steely-eyed gaze that made opponents feel very uncomfortable.
Referred to as Il Duce, Italy's fascist leader Benito Mussolini relied a lot on his oratory abilities to maintain control over his country. He was the first ruler in history to make use of a loudspeaker electrically to amplify his voice. Possessed of an arrogant, overconfident swagger and maintaining a habit of stepping back and folding his arms between sentences as if allowing time for his rhetoric to be absorbed, Mussolini developed into a specialist in crowd psychology.
A well-known and controversial lawyer, writer, and orator during America's mid-19th-century Golden Age of Free Thought, Robert G. Ingersoll campaigned tirelessly in defense of agnosticism. Nicknamed "the great agnostic," he popularized the higher criticism of the Bible, as well as a humanistic philosophy and a scientific rationalism. A celebrity of sorts who commanded a huge fee for a single evening's performance, Ingersoll was acknowledged for his witty oratory, which he used to expose the orthodox superstitions of the times.
Malcolm X shocked many white Americans, and some Blacks too, with his inflammatory rhetoric. An enthusiastic vocal spokesmen for the Nation of Islam, he was credited with the group's dramatic increase in membership between the early 1950s and early 1960s. He even inspired the boxer Cassius Clay—who changed his name to Muhammad Ali—to join the Nation. Disillusioned and seeking a voice elsewhere, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam in 1964. He was assassinated by members of the group the following year.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs pioneered the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. His passion for the company and the devices it created made product launch days international events, with rock concert-like crowds arriving en mass for Jobs' enthusiastic and often emotional presentation.
Educator, author, and adviser to two US presidents, Booker T. Washington was an accomplished orator. On September 18, 1895, he was selected to give a speech that would open the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. The speech, which is often referred to as the "Atlanta Compromise," was the first speech given by an African American to a racially-mixed audience in the South.
Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has gained an international reputation for challenging world leaders to take immediate action against climate change. She's spoken at meetings around the globe, including at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. Her speech there, in which she exclaimed "how dare you," was widely taken up by the press and incorporated into music. She is followed on social media platforms, and is admired by students and young people in general for her commitment towards securing a sustainable future for the planet.
Sources: (Speakers Institute) (National Communication Association)
The 35th President of the United States delivered several notable speeches during his short time in office. Among the most famous are his January 20, 1961 inauguration address, the decision to go to the Moon speech, made on May 25, 1961, and the rousing Ich bin ein Berliner speech given on June 26, 1963.
Few will have heard of Chief Joseph, leader of the Nez Perce indigenous peoples. After being forcibly removed from their ancestral lands by the US government and trying to make their way to Canada, he surrendered himself and his tribe to the military on October 5, 1877. Chief Joseph knew he was the last of a dying breed, and the moment of capitulation was heartbreaking. His speech in part reads: "The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food... I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."
Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, Socrates was nonetheless seen as a threat by the Athenians. Eventually the great Greek philosopher was arrested and put on trial for moral corruption and not believing in the gods. His celebrated "Apology" speech is Socrates' answer to these charges. However, the name of the dialogue derives from the Greek apologia, which translates as a defense, or a speech made in defense. Thus rather than expressing regret, Socrates attempted to defend himself and his conduct, which led to his eventual execution.
Great oratory can provoke, inspire, and motivate. Delivered with passion and sincerity, some speeches have been known to change the course of history. But the spoken word can also deceive and manipulate, and a master of propaganda can be just as persuasive as the most genuine and forthright of speakers.
Click through this gallery and be reminded of some of the most celebrated—and notorious—orators ever.
History's greatest orators
Legendary public speakers who shaped the course of history
LIFESTYLE Speakers
Great oratory can provoke, inspire, and motivate. Delivered with passion and sincerity, some speeches have been known to change the course of history. But the spoken word can also deceive and manipulate, and a master of propaganda can be just as persuasive as the most genuine and forthright of speakers.
Click through this gallery and be reminded of some of the most celebrated—and notorious—orators ever.