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One for the ages!  An audio tour of history coves more than a century

Shout! Factory’s 5-CD set titled 100 Greatest celebrates some of the greatest moments in modern history.

The perfect gift for the pop culture fan, history buff or sports fanatic, the collection is now available.
 

Produced by David McLees and Gordon Skene, the set includes speeches ranging from Grover Cleveland in 1893 and FDR’s Day Of Infamy speech in 1941 to Barack Obama in 2008.

Among the  news stories here are 3 Mile Island in 1979, the JFK Assassination in 1963, and the Berlin Wall falling in 1989. The 100 Greatest Scandals disc covers Frank Sinatra Jr.’s 1963 kidnapping, Nixon’s “Crook” speech in 1973, the Jonestown massacre of 1977, and Abu Ghraib prison in 2003.

The Greatest Personalities range from luminaries Jim Morrison and Amelia Earheart to Fidel Castro, William Faulkner, Albert Einstein and Benazir Bhutto.

Some of the greatest sports moments remembered are Babe Ruth’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, Pelé’s World Cup win in 1970, and Red Sox World Series win of 2004.

Track Listing:

Disc One: 100 Greatest Speeches

1          A. Philip Randolph 1954 – An early voice in the civil rights movement, Randolph formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, creating opportunity for thousands of young African American men. He was one of the key organizers of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

2.         Abraham Ribicoff 1968 – The Connecticut senator, and former state governor, was the nominating voice of George McGovern as the Democratic candidate during the National Convention in Chicago in 1968.

3.         Adlai Stevenson 1952 – Two-time Presidential candidate Stevenson was beloved for his forthrightness and oratorical skills. His first campaign was in 1952, running against Eisenhower. He lost, as he did in 1956, but not for lack of effort, as famously documented in the photograph of a hole worn in his shoe taken during the ’52 campaign

4.         Adlai Stevenson 1955 – In this speech about public health and medical research, Stevenson demonstrated the breadth of his knowledge, vocabulary and his uniquely eloquent speaking style.

5.         Al Smith/Neutrality 1939 – The popular former Governor of New York and erstwhile Presidential candidate was one of the voices of neutrality in the U.S. during the build-up to WWII. Once the war began, however, he was a staunch supporter.

6.         Alf Landon 1937 – After having famously lost the 1936 election to FDR, Landon, who was Governor of Kansas through the election, popularized the expression “our country—right or wrong” in this landmark speech about the growing conflict in Europe.

7.         Arthur Vandenberg 1937 – Michigan’s Senator Vandenberg still advocated isolationism in this speech that was informed by world conflicts of the time involving Spain, Japan and the rise of Nazism. He would radically change his views on foreign policy by the end of WWII, when his Vandenberg Resolution paved the way for NATO.

8.         Barack Obama/Chicago 2008 – The Illinois senator and Democratic candidate in the 2008 Presidential election captured the imagination and aspirations of a nation with his speaking style and content. Quotable phrases such as “We are the ones we are waiting for” along with his “Yes We Can” motto helped the wunderkind candidate take the lead in popular and electoral votes.

9.         Bernard Baruch 1946 – A successful businessman and advisor to more than one U.S. President, Baruch created the Baruch Plan, which sought to place control of atomic weapons and energy under international and U.N. governance.

10.      Bill Clinton/Convention 1992 – Clinton gave this impassioned speech at the 1992 Democratic Convention, setting the tone for his Presidency and bringing down the house with a multilayered reference to his hometown of Hope, Arkansas, that was enhanced by his finely tuned sense of oratorical timing.

11.      Borman/Moon 1968 – Apollo 8 was the first manned mission to travel to another heavenly body. The rocket, with three astronauts onboard, orbited the moon ten times over 20 hours, and it was during this time that mission commander Frank Borman delivered a Christmas Eve broadcast to Earth that included this reading from the Book of Genesis.

12.      Byrnes/U.N. 1946 – James Byrnes, at various times a senator, a member of the House of Representatives and a Supreme Court justice, was Secretary of State under President Truman when he gave this speech in 1946 about the U.N.’s formation.

13.      Carter/Egypt/Israel 1978 – President Jimmy Carter was a central figure in helping to negotiate the terms of the Camp David Accords, a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, in meetings with Menachem Begin and Anwar El Sadat.

14.      Churchill/Finest Hour 1940 – Winston Churchill’s powers of speech were most riveting during the buildup to WWII, when he galvanized the country and the world for a struggle against the forces of Hitler and Nazi Germany. His speeches provided hope, inspiration and many a quotable phrase, such as his “finest hour” reference in this clip.

15.      Churchill/France 1940 – In another classic speech, Churchill rallies the hopes of the British and the French, assuring both nations that despite the apparent lack of hope, “. . . conquer we must and conquer we shall!”

16.      Churchill/German Threat 1934 – After leaving the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer, and prior to returning to public service as Prime Minister, Churchill presciently warned of the dangers of ignoring the rapidly growing threat of a re-arming Germany.

17.      Churchill/Iron Curtain 1946 – Once again, Churchill proves to be both a master statesmen and a master speaker by coining the phrase “Iron Curtain” not to mention the phrase “Soviet Sphere,” both of which entered into common political usage during the decades that followed.

18.      Coretta Scott King 1968 – Just weeks after the assassination of her husband, Coretta Scott King demonstrated her own ability to inspire through her words in this June 19, 1968, speech about rescuing the soul of the nation. She took on the helm of the civil rights movement and spread her concerns to include women’s and later gay and lesbian rights.

19.      Dag Hammarskjöld 1958 – Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary General of the U.N., was the only official to die while holding that title. His vision of the U.N.’s role in maintaining the balance of world peace was an influence on many of his successors.

20.      Dean Acheson/Asia 1950 – Acheson, the U.S. Secretary of State under Truman, was an architect of both the Marshall Plan and NATO. Though he was wary of the expansion of power in Asia, at the same time he celebrated its growth toward independence.

21.      Dean Rusk 1963 – Rusk, the Secretary of State under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, was the U.S. representative who signed the Test Ban Treaty of 1963, effectively slowing the arms race by banning all but underground tests of nuclear weapons.

22.      Desmond Tutu/Truth And Reconciliation 1995 – The first Black leader of the Anglican Church in South Africa was a peaceful but tenacious foe of apartheid. After the elimination of segregationist policy, Archbishop Tutu acted as head of the Truth And Reconciliation Commission, which helped the country transition to multiracial politics without widespread violence.

23.      Douglas MacArthur 1945 – MacArthur, the leader of the Pacific Theater of WWII and the man who accepted the surrender of Japan in 1945, also served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan, maintaining order in the Pacific region after the war ended.

24.      Douglas MacArthur/Farewell 1951 – After acting as the primary U.S. military leader in the Pacific during both WWII and the first year of the Korean War, General MacArthur’s penchant for disregarding orders led to his dismissal. Despite the controversy surrounding his removal from military command, his famous farewell speech before Congress was interrupted by no less than 30 standing ovations.

25.      Earl Stanley Baldwin 1939 – Baldwin was a three-time Prime Minister in the U.K., but his final term, which ended in 1937, brought him the most renown. His position of appeasement in the face of German aggression made him very unpopular after the fact.

26.      Edward Stettinius/U.N. Opening 1945 – United States Secretary of State under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, Stettinius was instrumental in the formation of the United Nations; this inaugural speech was delivered during the same June 26 ceremony as James Byrnes’ (see entry #12).

27.      Eisenhower/End Of Korean War 1953 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the signing of the Korean War Armistice. Speaking as a former general, his words touched the hearts of the families of those who had served and died in the conflict.

28.      Eisenhower/Convention 1956 – Winning his second term with a landslide victory in both popular and electoral votes, “Ike” spoke at the 1956 Republican convention about his hope of penetrating the Iron Curtain with truth.

29.      Eisenhower/Farewell 1961 – The first U.S. President “forced” by the 22nd Amendment to leave office after his second term, Eisenhower delivered a prophetic and controversial speech in 1961 warning of the dangers of “unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex . . .”

30.      FDR/Inaugural 1933 – In his first of four inaugural addresses, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s inimitable ringing voice proclaimed that fear itself was only thing our country had to fear, making for a stunning example of the power of a leader to guide his people through his own positive and courageous oratorical declarations.

31.      FDR/Inaugural 1937 – In his second inaugural address, FDR addressed the continuing effects of the Great Depression, promising that it cannot defeat the united spirit of hope of the country.

32.      FDR/Day Of Infamy 1941 – FDR’s December 8 announcement of the U.S. entry into war after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor motivated an entire nation to rise to defend their country with “righteous might.”

33.      FDR/Lend-Lease 1941 – In one of his first moves toward war, FDR announced a new program to assist nations that were battling Nazi aggressions by providing billions of dollars worth of supplies to Allied forces through the Lend-Lease program.

34.      Ford/Inaugural 1974 – In his inauguration speech, the only U.S. Vice President to ever succeed a resigned President promised the end to the “long national nightmare” of the Watergate scandal. Gerald Ford’s speech inspired the country to renew its faith in the process of law and to take pride in the primacy of the U.S. Constitution over its leaders.

35.      General Eisenhower 1945 – In one of the speeches that led to Eisenhower’s great popularity and eventual ascension to the White House, the General speaks of the Allied victory on V-E Day.

36.      General Patton 1945 – One of the great figures of WWII, General George S. Patton gave this speech two days after liberating the Czech city of Pilsen on May 6, 1945. His prediction of victory over both Germany and Japan became truth and was an inspiration to many.

37.      General Pershing 1917 – The highest-ranking general in the history of the U.S. Army, General of the Armies John Pershing led the American Expeditionary Force in WWI and became an inspiration for generations of military men to follow. In this speech he created a rhetorical style of ideological military pronouncement that was imitated by future generals and politicians alike.

38.      Goldwater 1964 – Arizona state senator for five terms and almost 20 years, Barry Goldwater ran for President in 1964 as the Republican Party’s nominee. This speech, delivered at the Republican National Convention, became the gold standard of conservative oration, establishing the kind of right-wing political tone that has experienced resurgence in the past decade.

39.      Grover Cleveland 1893 – Cleveland was the only U.S. President to serve two non-consecutive terms, and one of the few to lose the electoral vote despite winning the popular vote in 1888. This speech was given at the start of his second term.

40.      Harold Ickes 1935 – Ickes was a powerful figure in the FDR Administration, acting as both the director of the Public Works Administration and the Secretary of the Interior. In that role he represented the President at the dedication of the Hoover Dam in September 1935.

41.      Helen Gahagan Douglas 1948 – The eloquent former actress and California member of the House of Representatives proposed several groundbreaking laws, including an early civil rights bill that led to future achievements in the Civil Rights Movement.

42.      Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. 1960 – This scion of an influential political and artistic family acted as a U.S. ambassador to both South Vietnam and West Germany, in addition to his duties as a U.N. ambassado and Massachusetts senator. As such he developed a skill for presenting broad ideas with surprising simplicity and diplomacy, as he does in this speech regarding the role of government leaders.

43.      Henry Wallace 1948 – Wallace, who served as Vice President under FDR, ran for President as the candidate of the Progressive Party in 1948. His campaign was truly progressive, advocating an end to segregation and strongly urging a search for the truth amidst political spin.

44.      Herbert Hoover/Convention 1932 – After a tenure in which the country had fallen victim to the Great Depression, President Hoover ran for a second term, launching his candidacy at the Republican National Convention in 1932 with this speech. He lost to FDR.

45.      Herbert Lehman/World’s Fair 1939 – The Governor of New York during the harshest years of the Great Depression, Lehman took the opportunity at the opening of the World’s Fair in 1939 to voice the hopes of his constituents and of Americans as a whole.

46.      Howard Hughes 1938 – As a brilliant self-taught aircraft engineer and record-breaking aviator—not to mention an astute businessman who became one of the wealthiest men in the world—Howard Hughes offered a vision for the future of the aviation industry that was nearly prophetic.

47.      Huey P. Long 1935 – After serving as governor of his state, “The Kingfish” became a Louisiana senator who fought against the Federal Reserve and in support of every American trying to obtain a comfortable standard of living. His diehard populism made him an enemy of rich bankers with the creation of the radical Share Our Wealth Society, which proclaimed “Every Man A King.”

48.      Jesse Jackson 1988 – A close associate of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a civil rights leader in his own right, Jackson twice ran for President. His second campaign inspired millions and triumphed in seven primaries and four caucuses. His signature preaching inflections gathered a “Rainbow Coalition” of supporters, but failed to garner him the Democratic nomination.

49.      JFK/Candidacy Announcement 1960 – In the first days of the new decade, John Fitzgerald Kennedy announced that he would enter the 1960 New Hampshire primary and pursue the nomination of his party to victory in the general election. It was the first of his many confident and prophetic speeches.

50.      JFK/Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 – After obtaining evidence of a Soviet missile site being constructed in Cuba, President Kennedy referenced the appeasement of the 1930s in enlisting the support of the American public for his plan to face down the Soviet provocation.

51.      JFK/Inaugural 1961 – President Kennedy’s inaugural speech enshrined him as the country’s guiding light and great hope, at the same time inspiring and challenging his compatriots to join him in his vision of greatness for America.

52.      JFK/United Nations 1961 – President Kennedy’s address to the U.N. invoked the recent death of Secretary General Hammarskjöld to underscore his plea for peace among nations and an end to war.

53.      Jimmy Carter 1976 – At the 1976 Democratic National Convention, the Governor of Georgia, who had seemingly emerged from thin air, became his party’s Presidential nominee. Carter struck a populist cord as the peanut farmer from the South, promising to uphold a government that was representative of “the people.”

54.      Kennedy/Nixon Debates 1960 – Television played an unprecedented role in the election-year debate between these two candidates. Kennedy’s comfort and eloquence in front of the cameras only served to highlight Nixon’s nervousness and clumsy attempts at eloquence.

55.      King Hussein/Congress 1994 – On July 26 King Hussein of Jordan announced before Congress the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace, an accord negotiated with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin that ended territorial disputes between the neighboring nations.

56.      Kofi Annan/Kosovo 1999 – As Secretary General of the U.N. for a decade, Annan was the diplomat in charge when the Kosovo War broke out in 1999. The territory came under the interim administration of the U.N. through Security Council Resolution 1244. By bringing the Council’s considerable clout to bear on what had been treated as a local problem, the war was ended.

57.      LBJ/Civil Rights 1965 – A week after the “Bloody Sunday” Selma march, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the event a “turning point” in the pursuit of equality. Denouncing the violence inflicted on protesters, Johnson went on to sign a second civil rights bill, the Voting Rights Act, soon thereafter.

58.      LBJ/Civil Rights Act 1964 – Making history, President Johnson signed the act outlawing segregation in public schools and public places. His speech pointed to the irony of the wording of the U.S. Constitution in contrast to the reality of life for people of color.

59.      LBJ/Declines Re-election 1968 – Astonishing the country with his refusal, President Johnson declined the potential nomination of the Democratic Party for the 1968 election, which would have presented him for a second full term.

60.      LBJ 1963 – Having been sworn in on Air Force One on the way to the nation’s capital, Lyndon Baines Johnson addressed the country for the first time as its President following the assassination of JFK.

61.      Mandela/Prison Release 1990 – Nelson Mandela’s conviction on charges of sabotage—related to his protests against apartheid—made him a hero to all who opposed the South African national policy of legalized segregation. Never letting his spirit break after 27 years of imprisonment, Mandela emerged to become the leader of a movement, a party and eventually an entire nation.

62.      Margaret Chase Smith 1950 – The Republican senator from Maine—who had also served in the House of Representatives—made this famous Declaration of Conscience on the Senate floor in order to protest the anti-Communist witch hunt being led by Senator Joseph McCarthy.

63.      Mario Cuomo 1984 – During the first year of his term as Governor of New York, Cuomo delivered this riveting keynote speech at the 1984 Democratic Convention, thereby initiating a decades-long dance of dodging the entreaties of his party to run for President.

64.      Marshall Plan 1947 – In order to help restore economic health to a war-torn Europe, the U.S. announced the European Recovery Program on June 5, 1947, which soon became known as the Marshall Plan, after Secretary of State George Marshall. Billions of dollars went overseas during the next four years to assist in rebuilding infrastructure and investing in local economies, leaving almost all the assisted countries in better economic condition than they were before the war.

65.      MLK/I Have A Dream 1963 – As one of the scheduled speakers at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. moved to the forefront of the civil rights movement with this speech. In the four decades since his death “I have a dream…” has become a phrase of hope and power for all who are oppressed.

66.      MLK/Mountaintop 1968 – This memorable and iconic speech by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., not only placed the civil rights movement into the context of the Old Testament exodus from slavery into freedom, but also prophetically indicated that King—the modern Moses—would not survive to see this liberation. He was assassinated the next day, on April 4, 1968.

67.      MLK/Nobel Prize 1964 – King, who had already become the central figure in the civil rights movement, became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his nonviolent campaign of resistance.

68.      Neville Chamberlain 1938 – The Prime Minister of the U.K. during the the buildup of Nazi aggression, Chamberlain went to Hitler and negotiated an appeasement pact for peace that turned out not to be worth the paper on which it was written.

69.      Neville Chamberlain/War 1939 – Less than a year after Chamberlain had negotiated peace with Germany, the invasion of Poland put the U.K. in the position of having to defend its ally and go to war against Germany.

70.      Newton Minow 1961 – Minow was the chairman of the FCC in 1961 when he gave his “Television and Public Interest” speech in which he declared that that what television had to offer was a “Vast Wasteland.”

71.      Nixon/Checkers Speech 1952 – While Richard Nixon was running as Vice President in 1952, he was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions. He went on television to address the American public in defense of his conduct and his finances. During the speech he admitted that he had kept one gift from a constituent—a dog. His daughter named it Checkers and the media dubbed the bizarre performance “The Checkers Speech.”

72.      Nixon/China Visit 1972 – When Nixon announced his intention of visiting China and opening diplomatic relations with the isolationist Communist country, it came as an unlikely shock to most. A weeklong diplomatic journey materialized in February 1972, during which time Nixon met with Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai.

73.      Nixon Concession 1962 – After losing the race for President in 1960, Nixon embarked on an ill-advised campaign to challenge Pat Brown in the race for Governor of California. He fared poorly. During the press conference in which he conceded the election, Nixon blustered at the press corps about what he perceived to be its prejudice against him. His promise that “you won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore” was one that he did not keep.

74.      Nixon/End Of Vietnam War 1973 – On January 23?? Nixon announced that the Paris Peace Accord had been ratified by U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho of Vietnam, calling for a cease-fire between the warring nations.

75.      Nixon/Inaugural 1969 – Richard M. Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th President of the United States on January 20, 1969. In this unintentionally ironic speech, the new President called for a reduction of inflated, angry and bombastic rhetoric in favor of a more open style of dialog.

76.      Nixon/Resignation 1974 – After the Watergate scandal brought down several Nixon aids, the trail of the “smoking gun” led to the Oval Office and the threat of impeachment seemed inevitable. Nixon became the only President to resign his office after he made this announcement in August 1974.

77.      Paul Robeson/Madison Square Garden 1948 – Robeson was an actor, singer, and powerful speaker who, for some time, was a leader of the nascent civil rights movement. He often spoke out about lynching and, in 1946, launched the American Crusade Against Lynching.

78.      Reagan/Berlin Wall 1987 – President Reagan spoke at the site of the Berlin Wall’s Brandenberg Gate in 1987, directing his comments to General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. His challenge to “tear down this wall” helped initiate a period of intense reform in the Soviet Union, leading to the demolition of the wall in 1989.

79.      Reagan/Challenger 1986 – Reagan eulogized the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger after its members died tragically during liftoff, comparing them to the explorer Sir Francis Drake, who died on the same day 390 years prior. His poetic reference was a consoling gesture that made the senseless deaths seem to have a greater meaning.

80.      Reagan/Inaugural 1981 – The Reagan Presidency launched in full force with this inaugural speech. Reagan pointed the finger of blame for the economic ills of the time squarely at the U.S. government, implying that he, somehow, would cure the nation’s ills by removing the disease of interfering bureaucracy.

81.      Reagan/Iran-Contra 1986 – Reagan denied all charges of trading arms for hostages in Lebanon. What he failed to mention while making these blanket denials of U.S. arms shipped to Iran was that there was a covert operation going on . . . not aimed at freeing American hostages but rather at funding the Contra rebels in Nicaragua with an untraceable source of revenue.

82.      Reagan/“Shining City” 1989 – In President Reagan’s farewell speech, after two terms in office as the most popular President since JFK, Reagan cited a visionary metaphor of the U.S. as “shining city” on the hill—a beacon of freedom for all who sought it.

83.      Reagan/Star Wars 1983 – In this speech, President Reagan laid out his plan to create a space-based defense system to protect America and its allies against nuclear attack. The Strategic Defense Initiative was so technologically futuristic at the time that it became known as the Star Wars plan.

84.      RFK/Announces Candidacy 1968 – In typical Kennedy fashion, Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy’s candidacy announcement was more than just that—it was an eloquent and moving assessment of the problems facing the country and the way in which a dedicated public servant such as himself could change them.

85.      Sadat/Addresses Congress 1975 – After cutting ties with the U.S.S.R. and demonstrating military might in the Yom Kippur War, Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat moved in earnest toward negotiating peace with Israel. As part of his pursuit of peace he traveled to the U.S. and addressed Congress in order to win over public opinion.

86.      Shirley Chisholm 1972 – A pioneer for civil rights, Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to Congress (in 1968) and the first African American candidate for President (in 1972), receiving 152 Democratic delegates during the primaries.

87.      Solzhenitsyn/Harvard Address 1978 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Nobel Prize–winning writer perhaps best known for Gulag Archipelago, his groundbreaking three-volume work about life in the Russian prison camps. The subversive manuscript had to be smuggled out of the U.S.S.R. for publication, and the author was exiled from Russia shortly thereafter. He gave this speech calling for the U.S. to think globally about how decisions made here affected the whole world.

88.      Ted Kennedy/RFK Eulogy 1968 – After the tragic death of another brother, Senator Ted Kennedy gave this emotional speech at Robert F. Kennedy’s funeral in 1968. Though many expected Ted to grab the torch and run for President as the surviving member of the political Kennedy siblings, he did not.

89.      Theodore Roosevelt 1909 – Roosevelt—the “Bully”—ascended to the office of President after McKinley was assassinated. He was re-elected to office and held it for two full terms, largely due to his respect for the common man and for common moral values. His Square Deal speech summed up his philosophy of fair play for all who live in this country.

90.      Tony Blair 2007 – Blair became the Prime Minister of the U.K. in 1997 as the leader of the Labour Party, ending the 18-year dominance of the Conservatives. Having started his terms as one of the most popular modern Prime Ministers, Blair lost some of that public and party support when he stood staunchly by the U.S. throughout the wars that followed the 9/11 attacks. He stepped down as Prime Minister a month after this May 10 speech.

91.      Truman/NATO 1949 – President Truman’s speech tied the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949 to the founding of the U.N. and the goals of international peace and security. NATO offered a collective defense for all its members, guaranteeing that the vulnerability of smaller nations—as experienced in the European wars—would not make them susceptible to attack

92.      Truman/No Re-election 1952 – Although he was not limited to two terms by the 22nd Amendment (as his successors would be) Truman chose to end his Presidency after two full terms.

93.      Truman/Opening Of U.N. 1945 – In one of the defining moments of Truman’s Presidency, the U.N. established its charter just two months after FDR’s passing and Truman’s succession as 33rd President. The end of WWII, the rise of nuclear weapons, the founding of the U.N., the creation of NATO—all of these combined to make the Truman Presidency one of the most powerful periods of change in the 20th century.

94.      Walter Reuther 1966 – The man who made the United Automobile Workers a union force to contend with in American industry and politics laid out his personal beliefs about the power of man to guide technology rather than be overcome by it.

95.      Wayne Morse/Vietnam 1968 – The Oregon senator was one of the first major political voices to challenge the U.S. government’s involvement in Vietnam. His speech popularized the phrase “policemen of the world,” a role that he felt the U.S. had no right to assume.

96.      Wendell Willkie 1940 – Willkie ran against FDR in 1940 and lost in an electoral landslide. He did, however, inspire a wave of support that garnered over 22 million popular votes.

97.      William Green/AF Of L 1939 – William Green became the head of the American Federation of Labor following the long reign of Samuel Gompers. In this speech, Green dramatically illustrates the great good fortune of the U.S. to not (yet) be engaged in the pending global conflict.

98.      William Howard Taft 1908 – Secretary of War under Teddy Roosevelt, Taft ran for President in 1908 under Roosevelt’s endorsement. He soundly beat William Jennings Bryan in the race and went on to promote peace and enhance both the civil service and the postal system.

99.      William Jennings Bryan 1923 – Though best known for his role in the Scopes “Monkey” Trial, Bryan was a career politician who ran for President three times. He created the campaign stump tour, a tradition which many candidates have followed ever since. He also served as Secretary of State for two years under Woodrow Wilson before resigning in protest over a perceived gaffe in Wilson’s response to the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.

100.    Woodrow Wilson 1912 – Wilson, though not a very charismatic speaker, appealed to the public as a man of good sense and even temperament. His 1912 campaign was aided by the heated battle between Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, which split the Republican vote.

Disc Two: 100 Greatest News Stories

1.         3 Mile Island 1979 – Three Mile Island was the site of the first major nuclear-power plant disaster in the U.S. A five-mile radius clear zone was evacuated of pregnant women and preschool children.

2.         9/11/01 – The first reports of planes crashing into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers on September 11. The collisions were intentional attacks by terrorists seeking to strike a deadly psychological blow against the U.S. The Pentagon was also struck. A fourth jet, which crashed after a passenger revolt, was likely headed toward the White House or the Capitol Building.

3.         A-Bomb 1945 – A description of the fireball and mushroom cloud from the nuclear detonation over Hiroshima, witnessed by one of the crewmembers on the Enola Gay. This marked the first time nuclear technology was used as a weapon.

4.         Agnew Resigns 1973 – On October 10 Spiro Agnew became the second Vice President in U.S. history to resign, having pled nolo contendere (no contest) to criminal charges of tax evasion and money laundering, stemming from his years as Maryland’s governor. Less than a year later the President he served under, Richard Nixon, resigned amidst his own scandal.

5.         Allies In Berlin 1945 – One of the final battles of World War II, the Battle of Berlin started in late April 1945 and ended on May 2 with the capture of the city. With the Russians entering from the east and U.S. forces pushing from the west, the Germans surrendered within a week after Berlin fell.

6.         Apollo/Soyuz 1975 – The giddy greetings of the Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts were broadcast back to Earth as the two space programs met in the docking of the Soyuz and Apollo spacecrafts, in orbit some 140 miles over Europe.

7.         Babe Ruth 1947 – The final words of Babe Ruth’s “Farewell to Baseball.” The Bambino’s brief speech, given before a packed Yankee Stadium on April 27, summed up his view of the sport and his gratitude for the kindness of his fans.

8.         Berlin 1961 – A reporter describes the division of East Berlin from West Berlin in detail, and the frustrations of Berliners being prevented from taking routes that crossed the new closed border.

9.         Berlin Airlift 1949 – Literally flying in the face of the Russian blockade, Western forces airlift 10,000 tons of supplies into West Berlin.

10.      Berlin Wall 1989 – The Berlin Wall fell in November. An explosive and spontaneous celebration followed around and atop the wall itself and became a powerful symbol of East Germany’s newfound freedom.

11.      Bhopal 1984 – More than 3,000 people died when lethal gas leaked from the Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India. The death toll eventually reached 20,000 (although estimates vary) as related illnesses from exposure continued to take lives.

12.      Chernobyl 1986 – Early reports on Russia’s Chernobyl disaster came from Sweden and Finland, where radiation monitors registered nuclear activity more than three times the normal levels. Chernobyl would go down in history as the world’s most devastating nuclear-power accident.

13.      China/U.N.­ 1971 – Chiang Kai-Shek, the leader of the Republic of China, withdrew from the United Nations in light of the increasing power of Mao Tse-Tung’s Communist People’s Republic of China. The PRC was then voted to be the country’s sole government.

14.      Clinton/Lewinsky 1998 – President Bill Clinton emphatically denies an improper relationship with former intern Monica Lewinsky. This untruth led to impeachment proceedings when proof of his sexual relations with “that woman” was discovered.

15.      Columbia Disaster 2003 – In the first major space-shuttle disaster since the 1986 Challenger explosion, the Columbia broke up on reentry in the skies above Texas. Review of launch videos showed large chunks of protective foam breaking off during liftoff and causing damage to the heat-resistant tiles on the craft’s underside.

16.      Columbine 1999 – Two students armed with multiple weapons perpetrated the third-worst mass assault at a school in American history, killing 13 and injuring 23 others before taking their own lives. Sadly, their “record” was surpassed nearly eight years later at Virginia Tech.

17.      Cuba 1962 – President John F. Kennedy announced the embargo of all trade with Cuba in the spring after the expropriation of corporations and property of U.S. citizens. The embargo has continued to this day, 46 years later, and became a law in 1992.

18.      Czechoslovakia 1968 – Alexander Dubček came to power in 1968 and began instituting a series of liberalizing reforms that seemed to indicate a new era of freedom from the oppressive rule of the Soviet Union. Before the summer ended, however, the Russians gathered 200,000 soldiers and 2,000 tanks from their own and other Warsaw Pact countries to invade and occupy Czechoslovakia and wrest power from Dubček, restoring Soviet rule.

19.      D-Day 1944 – In a huge mobilization, the Western Allied forces began the Invasion of Normandy in June. A coordinated effort involving more than 150,000 troops crossing the English Channel by sea and air, it was the beginning of the protracted campaign to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation.

20.      Desert Storm 1991 – President George H.W. Bush launched Operation Desert Storm to reverse Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. Hussein was attempting to annex Kuwait in order to control its oil and have greater access to the Gulf. The U.S. was joined by all the major world powers in agreeing to push Hussein back.

21.      Eichmann 1961 – Adolf Eichmann was brought to trial in Israel for “crimes against humanity” committed in his role as the purported architect of the Holocaust. During the public trial Eichmann had to sit inside a booth of bulletproof glass to protect him from violence. He was sentenced to death. His appeal, which questioned the legality of the laws and Israel’s jurisdiction, was rejected, and he was executed in June 1962.

22.      Elvis 1977 – “The King” Elvis Aaron Presley had risen to the top of the music, film, and pop culture worlds in the late ’50s and early ’60s, breaking all sales, box office, and television records, only to have his throne challenged by The Beatles. After a successful comeback or two, he slid into a drug-addled, bloated existence, which ended at the age of 42.

23.      End Of Vietnam 1975 – After years of immersion in the Vietnamese conflict and increased polarization over its presence there, the United States found its situation seriously deteriorating. Unable to defend the Southern capital of Saigon and unable to defend the cause of war at home, the U.S. evacuated all personnel, many of whom were airlifted out by helicopter from atop the embassy as the North Vietnamese breached the city.

24.      Falklands 1982 – The Falkland Islands, a self-governing overseas territory of the U.K. located off the coast of Argentina’s southern tip, was invaded by Argentinean forces in an attempt to reassert their claim to the archipelago. The British launched an amphibious assault and retook the islands after a two-month conflict.

25.      French Strike 1968 – In May a series of student protests in Paris escalated to such an extent that President Charles de Gaulle tried to squash them with force, leading to violent battles in the streets. A strike ensued, which eventually involved more than ten million French workers, paralyzing the country and causing de Gaulle’s government to lose its mandate.

26.      Friedan 1972 – Betty Friedan, an architect of the women’s movement and cofounder of the National Organization of Women, was one of the principal activists to lobby for an Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA came before Congress in 1972 and was passed by the Senate, but it was never fully ratified by all the states.

27.      Gagarin 1961 – In April 27-year-old cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space, putting the Russians squarely ahead of the United States in the space race. He returned safely to Earth and helped guide the Soviet space program, only to perish in an MiG jet test flight nearly seven years later.

28.      Gandhi Death 1948 – An eyewitness account of the assassination of Mohandas Gandhi recalls how a man stepped out of a car and shot Gandhi at close range. Gandhi was respected widely as India’s “Father of the Nation.” His nonviolent resistance and moral authority had helped guide the country from colony to independent nation just a few years earlier. The world mourned his loss.

29.      Gorbachev Resigns 1991 – Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who initiated sweeping changes in the Soviet Union that led to its eventual dissolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall, found himself marginalized during the failed coup of 1991. Although he returned to power, it was short-lived, as Boris Yeltsin seized the moment and control of Russia. Gorbachev resigned.

30.      Hindenburg 1937 – The Hindenburg, a German zeppelin, was heralded as the first ship of a new age in air travel. It was the largest rigid aircraft ever built, crossing the Atlantic in a record five days and just under 20 hours. Many believed zeppelins would become the luxury cruisers of the sky, until the Hindenburg burst into flames while attempting to moor at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. The conflagration claimed 36 lives.

31.      Hong Kong 1997 – After leasing and administering the territory of Hong Kong, a tiny set of islands off the coast of China, since 1842, the U.K. government transferred its rule back to the People’s Republic of China. Though dependent on the central government for defense and foreign affairs, the region maintains it own government and legal system.

32.      Hungary 1956 – After a student-spawned revolt against Russian rule turned into a full-fledged revolution, many believed that Hungary would become one of the first Soviet countries to escape the rule of Moscow. Less than a month later the Soviet government rolled tanks into the Hungarian capital of Budapest and squashed the resistance.

33.      India Independence 1947 – India had been under British rule for almost 90 years when the former’s partition from the U.K. led to the establishment of two independent states: the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan.

34.      Invasion Of Poland 1939 – A German-initiated attack on Poland set into motion the events that started World War II. After failing to fight off the Germans from their northern border, the Polish were then attacked from the east by Russia, cooperating with the German offensive. The invasion triggered a declaration of war on Germany by Polish allies, the U.K., France, and many others, and the war in Europe began.

35.      Iran Hostages 1979 – In November a group of students took over the U.S. embassy in Iran as an act of protest against Western influence and of support for the growing Islamic revolution against the U.S.-supported Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The students held 52 U.S. diplomats for a total of 444 days, resisting all attempts at military rescue and diplomatic negotiation.

36.      Iran-Contra 1986 – After much controversy and denial, President Ronald Reagan finally admitted that he had authorized the sale of defensive weapons to U.S.-opposed Iran. Although he tried to diminish the import of his actions, it later became clear that this authorization was part of a larger multinational covert scheme to support the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

37.      Iraq 2003 – Repeated attempts at U.N. inspection and diplomatic sanctions fell by the wayside when the U.S. decided to “disarm Iraq” because of the imminent threat posed by their weapons of mass destruction . . . the very weapons no inspectors could find. The Iraqi army was quickly overwhelmed and Saddam Hussein was captured, but no WMDs were found. The invasion evolved into an occupation and a drawn-out war.

38.      Iraq/Kuwait 1990 – Despite months of threatening speeches and gestures from their northern neighbor, Kuwait was completely taken by surprise when Iraq boldly invaded and annexed the country. The three-pronged attack involving infantry, tanks, and air assaults overwhelmed the Kuwaiti Armed Forces. The ensuing seven-month occupation led directly to the launch of Operation Desert Storm, a successful American-led international campaign to push Iraqi forces back over the border.

39.      Israel 1948 – The state of Israel as it is known today was formed as a national home for the Jewish people when, in May, Israel declared independence and the British Mandate for Palestine came to an end. The Arab/Israeli war immediately followed and was waged with intensity until the 1949 armistice agreements were signed and boundaries established. The concept of an Israeli state, however, has been an enduring dream of the Jewish people since their exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt.

40.      JFK Assassination 1963 – John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was both the youngest elected and first Roman Catholic Commander-in-Chief. His youth, intelligence, eloquence, and charisma captured and enchanted the world. His tragic death in Texas from an assassin’s bullet paralyzed the country with grief.

41.      JFK/Berlin 1963 – Kennedy’s powerful speech against the failures of Communism, given in West Berlin less than two years after the raising of the Berlin Wall and less than five months before his untimely death, was attended by some 120,000 people. His dramatic delivery and key use of German phrases won the crowd over completely.

42.      JFK Jr. 1999 – “America’s Son,” the oldest son of John F. and Jackie Kennedy (his younger brother Patrick died two days after being born) grew up in the White House and in the hearts of the country. He fiercely protected his privacy, but after receiving a law degree and serving as assistant district attorney in Manhattan, he became more of a public figure when he launched a political publication called George. In July the 38-year-old and his wife and sister-in-law crashed into the Atlantic in a small plane he was piloting to a wedding in Martha’s Vineyard. There were no survivors.

43.      John Glenn 1962 – In an effort to top the Russian accomplishment of launching the first manned flight into space, the U.S. sent astronaut John Glenn, Jr., into orbit, literally. In February, Glenn completed three full orbits of the planet in a five-hour period. He splashed down safely despite concerns about a heat-shield failure, landing in the history books as a pioneer and American hero.

44.      Jonestown 1978 – When Congressman Leo Ryan led a delegation of concerned relatives and reporters to Guyana’s Jonestown to make sure members of the Peoples Temple were safe, he saw disturbing signs of coercion and offered to take anyone home who wanted to go. Later that night his party was stopped at the airstrip by machine-gun fire. Back at the camp Jones led his entire flock in a forced mass suicide, in which more than 900 people perished.

45.      Justice O’Connor 1981 – In September Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in by President Reagan as the first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. She was confirmed unanimously by the Senate as the replacement for Justice Potter Stewart, who had held his seat for 22 years. O’Connor, who became as well known for her humor as for her detailed and independent statements, retired in 2005.

46.      KAL 007 1983 – Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was a civilian airliner carrying 269 passengers and crew from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, Korea, in September. The flight entered Soviet airspace over the Kamchatka Peninsula and was shot down by a Soviet Sukhoi jet. Everyone on board, including 62 Americans, perished. The incident provoked international outrage and protest.

47.      Khrushchev Ouster 1964 – Nikita Krushchev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin’s immediate successor, was a polarizing figure. His fall from power came at the hands of his successor, Leonid Brezhnev, who plotted his removal from office while Krushchev was on vacation.

48.      King Edward Abdicates 1936 – King Edward VIII shocked his country and the world when he chose love over power and renounced his throne. The cause of his abdication: Wallis Simpson, a divorcée to whom he had proposed despite the objections of his family, ministers and subjects. His reign lasted less than a year, and he was never officially crowned. He was the only monarch to ever voluntarily relinquish his royal position.

49.      King Verdict 1992 – In a stunning display of blind justice, all four white Los Angeles police officers videotaped beating Rodney King within an inch of his life were found not guilty. The verdict was so unthinkable in light of the evidence that the city erupted in a violent riot that lasted for six days, took 53 lives, and caused an estimated $1 billion in damages.

50.      Kissinger/Vietnam 1973 – Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford, was considered the mind behind Nixon’s foreign policy. He was the chief negotiator, with Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam, for a peaceful resolution of the Vietnamese conflict. The Paris Peace Accords brought ceasefires (and a Nobel Peace Prize for Kissinger), but the conflict resumed for another two years.

51.      Korea 1953 – After three years of entrenched conflict involving thousands of U.S. troops, an armistice was signed between North and South Korea. It ended a series of drawn-out negotiations which had continued for the last two years of the conflict, finally drawing the line of division between the two regions fairly close to where it had started before the North invaded the South in 1950.

52.      Legionnaires’ Disease 1976 – The mysterious disease broke out in more than 100 individuals attending an American Legion convention at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The cause was eventually determined to be a naturally occurring bacterium that spread through the venue’s air-conditioning system.

53.      Lennon Death 1980 – On December 8, obsessed fan Mark David Chapman confronted legendary Beatles cofounder John Lennon outside Lennon’s New York apartment, the Dakota, and delivered four deadly hollow-point bullets in quick succession. Lennon made it to the hospital but died soon after.

54.      Lindbergh 1927 – Charles Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St. Louis in the first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight. His flight, which took 33 hours and 29 minutes, started at Roosevelt Field on Long Island and ended at Le Bourget in Paris, where he gave this speech on May 21.

55.      Little Rock School Integration 1957 – The enrollment of nine African-American students at all-white Little Rock Central High School was so unthinkable in September of 1957 that the U.S. Army 101^st Airborne Division had to escort them inside to prevent an incident.

56.      Lockerbie 1988 – In December Pan Am Flight 103 fell to the earth in Lockerbie, Scotland, after a terrorist bomb was detonated onboard. All 259 passengers and crew, as well as 11 Lockerbie residents, were killed. Two Libyan intelligence officers were eventually accused and tried for the act.

57.      London Bombing 2005 – On July 7 a series of bombs exploded in a single minute on three different London Underground trains, followed within an hour by a fourth explosion on a bus. More than 700 were injured and 52 killed in what qualified as the largest terrorist attack in the history of the British capital.

58.      Love Canal 1978 – The Niagara Falls area known as Love Canal was a chemical waste dump for the Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation in the late ’40s. Construction to accommodate residential sprawl ended up breaching the dump’s protective clay wall, and chemicals began to leak into the local water supply and ground. After years of illnesses and birth defects, the President and EPA declared an environmental emergency and evacuated the population.

59.      Madrid Bombing 2004 – In March a series of coordinated bombings in Madrid’s commuter train system, directed by a Moroccan national, took the lives of 191 people and injured more than 2,050. The reason or inspiration for the bombing remains a mystery.

60.      Mao Tse-Tung Death 1976 – Mao Tse-Tung masterminded and led the People’s Revolution in China in 1949 and then ruled over the People’s Republic of China until his death in 1976. He was considered one of the 20th century’s most influential political figures.

61.      March On Washington 1963 – Approximately a quarter-million peaceful protesters marched on Washington for “Jobs and Freedom.” In addition to being the location of Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech, the march is considered one of the most powerful influencing factors in the political gains for the civil rights movement in the ensuing years, when the Civil Rights and National Voting Rights acts were both passed.

62.      McDonald’s 1984 – In a horrible case of meaningless mass murder, James Huberty, a security guard who had lost his job a week earlier, entered a San Ysidro, California, McDonald’s and opened fire. He was armed with an Uzi, a shotgun, and a pistol, with which he killed 21 and injured 19.

63.      Martin Luther King, Jr., Assassination 1968 – Senator Robert F. Kennedy announced the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr., to a rally in Indiana. Kennedy realized when he saw the excited crowd, which was mostly African-American, that they had not yet heard the news of King’s death, so he told them and briefly eulogized King before ending the rally.

64.      Marilyn Monroe Death 1962 – The ultimate Hollywood sex symbol, the wife of Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, the reputed mistress of the President, and heartthrob of the world died under mysterious circumstances at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. Although her death was listed as a “probable suicide,” conspiracy theories have raged rampant ever since.

65.      Moon Walk 1969 – In one of the most amazing moments in human history, men mastered space travel and landed on the moon in July—a dream envisioned by President John F. Kennedy a scant eight years earlier. Hundreds of millions watched live as Neil Armstrong stepped off the ladder and onto the surface of the moon. He was subsequently joined by lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin. Command module pilot Michael Collins orbited above.

66.      Mount St. Helens 1980 – When Mount St. Helens erupted in May, it was the fifth highest mountain in Washin