1. Martin Luther King -- I Have a Dream
   Mahatma Gandhi -- Quit India
2. Barrack Obama -- 2004 DNC Keynote Address
   Harold MacMillan -- Address to South African Parliament

Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech became the symbol of the Civil Rights movement. King spoke in front of a quarter of a million people from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on Aug. 28, 1963.

1. Abraham Lincoln -- Gettysburg Address
   Nelson Mandela -- Prepared to Die Speech
2. Teddy Roosevelt -- Muck-Rake Speech
   Patrick Henry -- Second VA Convention Speech

Abraham Lincoln delivered his iconic Gettysburg Address on Nov. 19, 1963 at a dedication for Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg. Speaking just months after the Union defeated the Confederacy in the surrounding fields, Lincoln's mention of four score and seven years ago referred to the signing of the Declaration of Independence 87 years earlier.

1. Chief Joseph -- Surrender Speech
   Winston Churchill -- 1940 Parliament Speech
2. Queen Elizabeth -- Spanish Armada Speech
   Vladimir Lenin - 1917 Speech to Soldiers

Just a few weeks after becoming Prime Minister, Winston Churchill delivered his famous "Fight on the Beaches" speech to Parliament. The June 4, 1940 address took place in the early days of WWII, and was designed to prepare Parliament for the major efforts that would be required to defeat Germany.

1. John F. Kennedy -- 1963 West Berlin Speech
   Nelson Mandela -- Prepared to Die Speech
2. Barrack Obama -- 2004 DNC Keynote Address
   Mahatma Gandhi -- Quit India

Mahatma Gandhi delivered his famous Quit India speech on Aug. 8, 1942. Speaking to a crowd at Gowalia Tank Maidan Park in Bombay, he encouraged non-violent resistance in his efforts to see India free from British rule.

1. William Faulkner -- Nobel Prize Speech
   John F. Kennedy -- To the Moon Speech
2. Barack Obama -- 2004 DNC Keynote Address
   Franklin Roosevelt -- Pearl Harbor Speech

Then Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama gave the keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. He later used "The Audacity of Hope" as the title for his bestselling 2006 book.

1. Ronald Reagan -- Challenger Address
   Martin Luther King -- I Have a Dream
2. General MacArthur -- West Point Address
   Abraham Lincoln -- Gettysburg Address

On Jan. 28, 1986, America watched as the Challenger space shuttle exploded, killing all on board. That night, President Ronald Reagan quoted poet John Magee's "High Flight" when describing the event. It was the perfect way to soothe the emotions of an aching public.

1. Harold MacMillan -- Address to South African Parliament
   Socrates -- Apology
2. Vladimir Lenin - 1917 Speech to Soldiers
   Teddy Roosevelt -- Muck-Rake Speech

On April 14, 1906, Teddy Roosevelt gave a speech as the cornerstone laying ceremony for the House of Representatives. He took the chance to call out muck-rakers, criticizing journalists for focusing on the bad rather than the good. The term muck-raker comes from the novel "Pilgrim's Progress."

1. William Faulkner -- Nobel Prize Speech
   George Washington -- Resignation
2. Queen Elizabeth -- Spanish Armada Speech
   Richard Nixon -- Resignation Address

Three months after the Treaty of Paris put an end to the American Revolution, George Washington issued an emotional resignation speech. Delivered to the Continental Congress on Dec. 23, 1783, Washington's words marked the end of his role as Commander-In-Chief and his return to civilian life.

1. Woodrow Wilson -- Fourteen Points
   General MacArthur -- West Point Address
2. Ronald Reagan -- Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate
   George Bush -- 9/11 Address to the Nation

Ronald Reagan's June 12, 1987 remarks at the Bradenburg Gate marked a new relationship between east and west. Also known as the Berlin Wall speech, Reagan's remarks encouraged Secretary of the Communist Party Mikhail Gorbachev to finally bring down the wall dividing the city of Berlin.

1. Richard Nixon -- Fund Speech
   Vladimir Lenin - 1917 Speech to Soldiers
2. Barrack Obama -- 2004 DNC Keynote Address
   Patrick Henry -- Second VA Convention Speech

Speaking at the Second Virginia Convention, Patrick Henry worked hard to convince the Convention to send troops to fight in the American Revolutionary War. A year after this March 23, 1775 address, Henry became governor of Virginia.

1. John F. Kennedy -- To the Moon Speech
   John F. Kennedy -- 1963 West Berlin Speech
2. Lou Gehrig -- Farewell to Baseball
   Neil Armstrong -- Moon Landing Statement

Even in the face of a terrible diagnosis, baseball legend Lou Gehrig was a class act. He delivered this speech at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939 to announce his resignation from baseball due to ALS.

1. General MacArthur -- West Point Address
   Chief Joseph -- Surrender Speech
2. Malala Yousafzai -- Speech to the UN
   Abraham Lincoln -- Gettysburg Address

Chief Joseph led his tribe the Nez Perce nearly 1,400 miles over three months in an attempt to reach Canada. Just 40 miles short of the border, he surrendered on Oct. 5, 1877 to save his surviving people.

1. John F. Kennedy -- Inauguration Speech
   Martin Luther King -- I Have a Dream
2. George Washington -- Resignation
   Ronald Reagan -- Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate

One of the youngest men ever to take the presidency, John F. Kennedy brought a new hope to the White House. In his Jan. 20, 1961 inauguration speech, he encouraged Americans to take pride in public service by asking themselves what they would do for their country.

1. Frederick Douglass -- Fourth of July Speech
   Patrick Henry -- Second VA Convention Speech
2. Nelson Mandela -- Prepared to Die Speech
   Martin Luther King -- I Have a Dream Speech

On July 5, 1852, civil rights advocate Frederick Douglass delivered a scathing speech to the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society. Citing Independence Day celebrations the day before, he asked his audience to consider how festivities related to liberty and freedom appeared to slaves.

1. Woodrow Wilson -- Fourteen Points
   Franklin Roosevelt -- D-Day Statement
2. George Bush -- 9/11 Address to the Nation
   Ronald Reagan -- Challenger Address

On Sept. 11, 2011, the United States experienced one the worst terrorist attacks in American history. Speaking from the Oval Office, President George W. Bush attacked a scared and angry nation, promising swift retribution and the full might of the U.S. military to defend its people.

1. Nelson Mandela -- Prepared to Die Speech
   Queen Elizabeth -- Spanish Armada Speech
2. Elizabeth Cady Stanton -- Solitude of Self
   Sojourner Truth -- Ain't I A Woman Speech

Former slave and activist Sojourner Truth gave a powerful speech at the Akron, Ohio Women's Convention on May 29, 1851. While those around her were focused largely on women's rights, Truth turned the tables, pointing out that equality requires a focus on both race and gender, not one or the other.

1. Ronald Reagan -- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
   Malala Yousafzai -- Speech to the UN
2. Franklin Roosevelt -- Inaugural Address
   John F. Kennedy -- To the Moon Speech

When Franklin Roosevelt became president for the first of his terms, the nation was stuck in the depths of the Great Depression. Speaking from the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 1933, Roosevelt promised to provide jobs -- even if it meant declaring a national emergency to force Congress into action.

1. Patrick Henry -- Second VA Convention Speech
   William Faulkner -- Nobel Prize Speech
2. Winston Churchill -- 1940 Parliament Speech
   Abraham Lincoln -- Gettysburg Address

William Faulkner was known for his writing, not his oratory skills, but he still managed to deliver one of the most celebrated Nobel Prize speeches in history. Accepting the award for his contributions to literature on Dec. 10, 1950, Faulkner delivered a powerful speech that has since been referred to as "The Writer's Duty."

1. Richard Nixon -- Fund Speech
   General MacArthur -- West Point Address
2. Chief Joseph -- Surrender Speech
   Harold MacMillan -- Address to South African Parliament

As one of the only five star generals in history, General Douglas MacArthur knows a thing or two about motivating troops. His speech regarding duty, honor and country to the Corps of Cadets at West Point is still used as a rallying cry more than half a century after his 1962 address.

1. Frederick Douglass -- Fourth of July Speech
   Teddy Roosevelt -- Muck-Rake Speech
2. Winston Churchill -- June 18, 1940 Address
   George Washington -- Resignation

Winston Churchill became the British prime minister just as Britain was getting forced into WWII. In the third of a series of speeches given before Parliament in 1940, Churchill uttered these unforgettable words to keep Parliament motivated for the challenges ahead, letting them know that they would be remembered for taking on the task of defeating Nazi Germany.

1. Franklin Roosevelt -- Pearl Harbor Speech
   John F. Kennedy -- 1963 West Berlin Speech
2. Ronald Reagan -- Challenger Address
   Ronald Reagan -- Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate

It was a somber President Franklin D. Roosevelt who delivered his Pearl Harbor speech on Dec. 8, 1941. A day after Japan bombed an American base in Hawaii, Roosevelt called Congress to action. Just a half an hour after his speech was complete, Congress had declared war on Japan.

1. Ronald Reagan -- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
   Barack Obama -- 2004 DNC Keynote Address
2. Winston Churchill -- 1940 Parliament Speech
   Elizabeth Cady Stanton -- Resignation Statement

Elizabeth Cady Stanton spent decades fighting for women's rights. After 40 years of activism, Stanton retired with this 1892 speech known as the "Solitude of Self."

1. Frederick Douglass -- Fourth of July Speech
   George Washington -- Resignation
2. Vladimir Lenin - 1917 Speech to Soldiers
   Abraham Lincoln -- Gettysburg Address

Russia was ripe for revolution in the 1910s, and Vladimir Lenin was the leader people were looking for. His April 12, 1917 speech to a Meeting of Soldiers of the Izmailovsky Regime directed them to deliver all power to the Soviets rather than the police, army or bureaucracy.

1. Ronald Reagan -- Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate
   Winston Churchill -- First Speech to Parliament
2. Chief Joseph -- Surrender Speech
   Martin Luther King -- I Have a Dream

On May 13, 1940, Winston Churchill delivered his very first speech to Parliament. The newly elected British prime minister chose his words to reduce the fear of a pending world war or an invasion by Nazi Germany.

1. Queen Elizabeth -- Spanish Armada Speech
   Frederick Douglass -- Fourth of July Speech
2. Nelson Mandela -- Prepared to Die Speech
   Mahatma Gandhi -- Quit India

Nelson Mandela was put on trial before the Supreme Court of Africa in the '60s for his efforts against apartheid and poverty. Even with a potential death sentence on the line, Mandela declared himself prepared to die for the cause of equality.

1. Henry VIII -- Resignation Speech
   Ronald Reagan -- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
2. Patrick Henry -- Second VA Convention Speech
   Queen Elizabeth -- Spanish Armada Speech

On Aug. 19, 1588, as the Spanish Armada steamed toward Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth donned her armor and headed out to speak to her troops. Her speech to the troops at Tillbury revealed that the legendary monarch was ready and willing to fight alongside her people to preserve her country.

1. John F. Kennedy -- To the Moon Speech
   Richard Nixon -- Fund Speech
2. Malala Yousafzai -- Speech to the UN
   Ronald Reagan -- Challenger Address

On Sept. 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy declared that the U.S. chooses "to go to the moon." Though Kennedy wouldn't live to see it, Americans stepped foot on the moon just seven short years later.

1. George Bush -- 9/11 Address to the Nation
   Woodrow Wilson -- Fourteen Points
2. George Washington -- Resignation
   Ronald Reagan -- Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate

As the horrors of WWI drew to a close, Woodrow Wilson gave a speech known as the Fourteen Points. Delivered to Congress on Jan. 8, 1918, the iconic speech outlined the steps Wilson declared were necessary to ensure global peace.

1. Demosthenes -- The Third Philippic
   Winston Churchill -- 1940 Parliament Speech
2. Socrates -- Apology
   Chief Joseph -- Surrender Speech

Put onto paper by Plato, this speech was delivered at the trial of Socrates in 399 BC. The great thinker was put to death for his refusal to believe in the gods, and also for corrupting the young.

1. George W. Bush -- Remarks at Ground Zero
   Barack Obama -- Inauguration Speech
2. Vladimir Lenin - 1917 Speech to Soldiers
   Theodore Roosevelt -- 1903 Speech

Delivered at a meeting of the Society of the Holy Name of Brooklyn and Long Island, this speech comes from Theodore Roosevelt. He spoke these words on Aug. 16, 1903, encouraging a return to strength and decency among youth to ensure the success of society.

1. General MacArthur -- West Point Address
   Socrates -- Apology
2. Harold MacMillan -- Address to South African Parliament
   Woodrow Wilson -- Fourteen Points

Harold MacMillan became prime minister of the UK at an interesting time. In this speech to the South African Parliament on Feb. 3, 1960, McMillan made it known that he would not interfere with the move toward independence of Britain's former or current colonies.

1. Adolph Hilter -- Surrender Speech
   John F. Kennedy -- 1963 West Berlin Speech
2. Teddy Roosevelt -- Muck-Rake Speech
   Winston Churchill -- 1940 Parliament Speech

The construction of the Berlin Wall sent the Cold War into overdrive in 1961. Two years later on June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered this speech to show U.S. support for West Germany by identifying himself as a citizen of Berlin.

1. Winston Churchill -- 1940 Parliament Speech
   Franklin Roosevelt -- Pearl Harbor Speech
2. Ronald Reagan -- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
   Queen Elizabeth -- Spanish Armada Speech

The D-Day invasion turned the tide of WWII as troops stormed the beaches at Normandy. President Ronald Reagan commemorated the brave men who fought on D-Day at a June 6, 1984 ceremony at Pont du Hoc.

1. Malala Yousafzai -- Speech to the UN
   Mahatma Gandhi -- Quit India
2. Martin Luther King -- I Have a Dream
   Sojouner Truth -- Ain't I A Woman Speech

On July 12, 2013 -- her 16th birthday -- Pakistani school girl Malala Yousafzai stood before the United Nations and gave a speech asking them to fight for education and women's rights. Shot in the head by the Taliban nine months before, Malala went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

1. John F. Kennedy -- Inauguration Address
   John F. Kennedy -- 1963 West Berlin Speech
2. Richard Nixon -- Fund Speech
   General MacArthur -- West Point Address

In a televised Sept. 23, 1952 speech, then vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon went on the air to defend himself against accusations of funding fraud. This address is sometimes called the Checkers speech because Nixon boldly declared that one gift he had received that he refused to return was a dog named Checkers.