On the day of Barack Obama's inaugural address in Washington D.C. It seemed an appropriate time to look at some of the great speeches that have influenced and changed the world.

These great speeches often provided the seed for powerful social or political change. They also inspired nations and races in their darkest hour.

Perhaps none more so than Winston Churchill's defiant speeches in 1940 and 41, as Britain stood alone against the Nazi conquered Europe.

These speeches are often beacons of hope from Martin Luther King's - I have a dream Speech to Nelson Mandela's "Rainbow nation speech"

The speeches are also important reminders of basic moral values from Jesus Christ's 'Sermon on the Mount'' to Mother Teresa's Nobel Peace prize acceptance speech.

Some of the Speeches that changed the World

People who Changed the world

Charles de Gaulle. Leader of the free French during WWII. Helped maintain French pride after the abject surrender of the French army and the creation of Vichy France. Led France out of Algeria after a bloody conflict. Repaid his thanks to the British by saying Non to British membership of the EEC.

Joan of Arc. Helped inspire the French to throwing off the British occupation. Burnt at the stake by the Church for heresy

Napoleon. Shook up Europe by starting lots of wars. Eventually he met his 'Waterloo' in Waterloo.

Marie Curie. Great scientist who helped discover radiation. Helping to implement many X ray machines during the first world War. Won the Nobel Prize for both Chemistry and Biology.

Abbey Pierre - French humanist

• 100 people who changed the world

Hull Hull have been the butt of many jokes, not least because Prescott hails from Hull. Nevertheless, the country got joy from seeing Hull FC temporarily 4th place in the English Premier League.

Morecambe. Morecambe is so called because 'more came' from other cities. Really it should now be called Moreleft because that would be more appropriate. Morecambe once had several piers, illuminations and great hotels. The piers fell into the pier and the tourist attraction on the prom were turned into a giant Morrisions. However, Morecambe FC did make it to the football league after many years of anonymity in the non league.

Birmingham. The best thing about Birmingham is the new M6 Toll road which makes it easier to pass through.

• Martin Luther King - led the peaceful civil rights movement in the US during the 1960s. Captivated audiences with his stirring rhetoric of building a better society - "I have a dream"
• Nelson Mandela - Led South Africa to a post apartheid society with full democracy. Admired for his forgiveness and willingness to reach out to the white community in South Africa
• Rosa Parks - Instrumental in the US civil rights movement of the 1960s
• Desmond Tutu - Leading figurehead in the South African anti apartheid movement
• Mohammed Ali - Great boxer of the 1960s. Refused to fight in Vietnam
• Kofi Annan - UN Secretary General.
• Oprah Winfrey - influential US media personality
• Barack Obama - First US President of African origin.
• Mary Seacole - nurse during Crimean war, contemporary of Florence Nightingale
  

100 People who changed the world

Birmingham. Birmingham has many ugly buildings and nothing really to show for it. One of the best things about Birmingham is the new M6 toll road which makes it easier to avoid the dreadful traffic congestion that can blight Birmingham. Presumably the traffic is due to people trying to leave or pass through. Birmingham has two big football teams who never win anything - Birmingham and Aston Villa

Liverpool. True the Beatles came from Liverpool, but, they didn't stay there and that says alot. The main attraction of Liverpool is the two football clubs. Liverpool was notorious for being a hothead of Militant socialism in the 1980s, it led Neil Kinnock to expelling the leader of Liverpool city council (Derek Hatton I think) out of the Labour party.

Liverpoodlians don't like being spoken ill of - as Boris Johnson found out when he was forced to travel up to Liverpool and issue a grovelling apology. Boris said Liverpudlians wallowed in its 'victim status'

Milton Keynes. Named after a famous poet and a famous economist, Milton Keynes is supposed to be a mixture of the ancient and modern but, is better known for its innumerable roundabouts and being a rather sad destination for the football club formerly known as Wimbledon.

• London - great variety of tourist attractions and famous shopping including Harrods
• Oxford - City of dreaming spires. Beautiful medieval colleges and buildings of Oxford University
• Cambridge - smaller than Oxford, but makes colleges more compact. Including Kings College.
• Cardiff - Capital of Wales, undergoing cultural renaissance
• Edinburgh - capital of Scotland with castle on a hill.
• York - ancient Roman town with city walls still visible.
• Manchester - City of Manchester United.
• Canterbury - smallest city in the UK, with ancient Cathedral

- William Shakespeare

"There are a terrible lot of lies going around the world, and the worst of it is half of them are true."

- Sir Winston Churchill

"History will be kind to me for I intend to write it."

- Sir Winston Churchill

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you. "

- Princess Diana

"Democracy is always a struggle for justice against the powerful"

- Tony Benn

“Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.”

- John Maynard Keynes

Top 100 Britons

According to a poll by the BBC the Top 10 Greatest Britons are

1. Winston Churchill (28.1%)
2. Isambard Kingdom Brunel (24.6%)
3. Princess Diana (13.9%)
4. Charles Darwin (6.9%)
5. William Shakespeare (6.8%)
6. Sir Isaac Newton (5.2%)
7. Queen Elizabeth I (4.4%)
8. John Lennon (4.2%)
9. Horatio Nelson (3%)
10. Oliver Cromwell (2.8%)

In a way these are also the most famous people.

The most famous British people currently living include:

• Tony Blair,
• Gordon Brown
• David Beckham
• Richard Branson
  
• JK Rowling
  

1. Don Bradman - A test average of 99, so far above anyone else it remains a statistical freak.
2. W.G. Grace - The father of cricket a fearsome competitor for over 3 decades.
3. Len Hutton
4. Brain Lara -
5. Sachin Tendulkar
6. Sir Gary Sobers
7. Ian Botham - all rounder with taste for the big occassion.
8. Alan Knott - a great wicket keeper
9. Shane Warne - greatest spin bowler of a generation
10. Malcom Marshall One could have picked any number of West Indies speed demons
11. C E L Ambrose

To choose the greatest Indian people is difficult. No country has such a long and rich history, stretching back into the Vedic times. There are a few difficulties in deciding what actually constitutes India. Since ancient times, the nation of India has been fluid with changing boundaries. I have chosen a liberal interpretation of what constitutes India and have included some of those (Mother Teresa, Sister Nivedita) who made India their adopted country.

1. Lord Buddha - Founder of Buddhism. Gave up the comforts of being a Prince in a palace to seek enlightenment in the forests. After gaining the experience of Nirvana, Lord Buddha spent many years travelling India teaching his philosophy of enlightenment and peace.
2. Sri Aurobindo - One of the key figures in the early Indian Independence movement, Aurobindo argued for nothing less than full independence. He retired from politics to devote the remainder of his life to spirituality in the French enclave of Pondicherry. Become one of the greatest poets, philosophers and Spiritual Masters of the twentieth century.
3. Swami Vivekananda - The indomitable spirit of Swami Vivekananda awoke in his fellow Indians a renewed sense of pride and self-belief. Vivekananda embodied both the spirituality of ancient India and the dynamism of the West. He became renowned in the West after his inspirational message of Religious tolerance was heard at the World Parliament of Religions 1983.
4. Mahatma Gandhi - The foremost political leader of the Indian independence movement. For over two decades, Ghandi strove for a peaceful overthrow of British rule. Inspired millions with his philosophy, resolve and commitment to independence and also to allieviating the plight of women and the 'untouchable' caste.
5. Sri Krishna - The hero of India's classic - the Bhagavad Gita. It was Sri Krishna who taught to Arjuna the sublime philosophy of yoga contained in the Gita. It was Sri Krishna who brought religion and spirituality to everyone. Sri Krishna also developed a new path of yoga - bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion.
6. Akbar - The Great Moghul Emperor who united India and became a beacon for religious tolerance. Akbar took great ginterest in all aspects of his government and introduced laws which were very enlightened and progressive for his time.
7. Jawaharlal Nehru - The first Prime Minister of an Independent India 1947. Nehru became a very well respected international statesman who steered his country through the difficult period following independence.
8. Radindranath Tagore. The Seer-Poet of modern India. Tagore, was the first Indian to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. A consummate poet, composer and artist. Returned his knighthood in protest at mistreatment of Indians by the British.
9. Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa was born in Albania, but, she made her home in the slums of Calcutta. Her compassion and selfless service to the underprivileged of India and the whole world, slowly won the hearts of a her fellow Indians.
10. Ashoka - One of the greatest Indian rulers of all time. Ashoka the Great ruled from 269 BC to 232 BC he embraced Buddhism after a bloody battle and became known for his philanthropism, and adherence to the principles of non-violence, love, truth and tolerance.

See also: full list of Top 100 Indians