From Abraham Lincoln to Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Nelson Mandela to Greta Thunberg, people have used the unique power of speech to influence society for centuries. Great speeches have formed milestones in modern history, inspiring and engaging generations on important issues including war, women’s rights, climate change and civil rights, and helping to shape the world we live in.

Featuring 17 influential speeches from the past 150 years, Talking History explores the events leading up to each speech, how the spoken word was used to great effect, and the impact it had on the world.

Contents:

– Abraham Lincoln, ‘The Gettysburg Address’, 1863
– Emmeline Pankhurst, ‘Freedom or Death’, 1913
– Pearl Gibbs, ‘An Aboriginal Woman asks for Justice’, 1938
– Winston Churchill, ‘Their Finest Hour’, 1940
– Jawaharlal Nehru, ‘A Tryst with Destiny’, 1947
– Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, ‘A Talk about Women’, 1949
– Helen Keller, ‘The Life and Legacy of Louis Braille’, 1952
– Yuri Gagarin, ‘The First Flight of a Man into Cosmic Space’, 1961, and Sally Ride, ‘Shoot for the Stars’
– Nelson Mandela, ‘I Am the First Accused’, 1964
– René Cassin, ‘The Charter of Human Rights’, 1968
– Harvey Milk, ‘The Hope Speech’, 1978
– Malala Yousafzai, ‘Education First’, 2013
– Angela Merkel, ‘Address to 68th Session of the WHO’, 2015
– Barack Obama, ‘Selma Speech’, 2015
– Severn Cullis-Suzuki, ‘Listen to the Children’, 1992, and Greta Thunberg, ‘Our House is on Fire’, 2019