President Roosevelt gave the famous speech to a joint session of Congress, the day after the Japanese bombing of the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. One of the most famous speeches given by a sitting American President, although it lasted just a little over seven and a half minutes, it managed to stir a nation’s patriotism to the very bone and was a significant point in American history. As these speeches continue to inspire many, they will go down in the annals of time. These were given at historical junctions, and had a significant impact at that time, and hold true even today. What follows, is a list of some of the most notable short speeches of all time. It is not necessary for a speech to be long to be famous, even a short one can be great, if it has an ability to mesmerize and inspire the audience. There is no dearth of famous short speeches that have irrevocably influenced mankind and history.Īlthough the list may seem endless, and there will always be some or the other disagreement of which of these should figure in the list of popular speeches of all time, given below is a compilation of famous speeches by famous people including former presidents, politicians, a great visionary, and a world-renowned dramatist.These have gone down in history as something that people find relevant and influential even today. This quote brilliantly summarizes the power of a good speech. Speech is power: Speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. Here is a list of some of the most notable speeches ever. There are many famous short speeches that have been a turning point in history.