In the West, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is always seen as one of two things: KGB spy or judo master.... more

Eleanor Roosevelt champions the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a foundational document proclaiming that “all human beings... more

Franklin D. Roosevelt asks Congress for a declaration of war against Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor – a... more

Frederick Douglass delivers a searing speech on the Fourth of July, summoning the nation to remedy the contradiction between slavery... more

Republican Senator Margaret Chase Smith breaks with partisan orthodoxy to take a stand against the demagoguery of Joseph McCarthy. To... more

Ronald Reagan commemorates the 40th anniversary of D-day. Linking past and present, he harks back to the landing in Normandy... more

Nelson Mandela stands trial for challenging the apartheid regime in South Africa. Speaking from the defendant’s dock at Pretoria, he... more

Margaret Thatcher resolves not to change course despite mounting criticism of her economic policy in Britain. The lady's not for... more

Theodore Roosevelt, speaking at the Sorbonne in Paris, outlines the vital role and responsibility of the ordinary citizen in a... more

John F. Kennedy delivers a historic speech at Rice University on his daring and uncertain mission to land a man... more