History troubles.

[1n50mn14]

Having become interested in history recently (I won't say just 'American' history, because I am also interested in world history), but lacking the discipline to sit down and leaf through large, bland books upon the topic, I've gone onto LimeWire and downloaded famous speeches with regards to WWII, the Vietnam War, Nobel Prize acceptance speeches, etc, etc, etc, and put them onto my iPod.

Does anybody else do this?

And can anybody reccomend some good speechmakers of the 20th and 21st centuries?

I would also like to download some spoken word and poetry readings, if possible, and would like some good reccomendations on that front, as well.

Cheers!
Becca.

[weltanschauung]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/2195WESDH0L._SL500_AA180_.jpg

[Emil Miller]

Having become interested in history recently (I won't say just 'American' history, because I am also interested in world history), but lacking the discipline to sit down and leaf through large, bland books upon the topic, I've gone onto LimeWire and downloaded famous speeches with regards to WWII, the Vietnam War, Nobel Prize acceptance speeches, etc, etc, etc, and put them onto my iPod.

Does anybody else do this?

And can anybody reccomend some good speechmakers of the 20th and 21st centuries?

I would also like to download some spoken word and poetry readings, if possible, and would like some good reccomendations on that front, as well.

Cheers!
Becca.


Three of the best orators of the 20th century were Mussolini, Lenin and Hitler but if you are not prepared to read them up in English or you don't speak Italian, Russian or German, you will have to leave them out.

[prendrelemick]

Obvious I know, but Winston Churchill delivered a deathless phrase or two.

I was also very inpressed by president elect, Obama's victory speech.

By the way, what a brilliant idea, the ipod thing.

[prendrelemick]

I've just remembered Alistair Cooke's Letter from America, a BBC radio programme that ran from the 1940's to 2003. Alistair Cooke reported and commentated on major events and everyday life, with wit and intellegence in a weekly digest. He was never heavy going.

[Niamh]

I find watching documentaries great when i cant concentrate on books...

[MattG]

I don't like history books in general. Too many timelines, too much overview, not enough of the dirty stuff that really causes wars and turmoil (the foundation of recorded history).

I prefer to pick large events from different time periods and focus on those. The rest of it eventually swims into a contextual sort of focus but to me, learning that way, is more real. You draw the inferences yourself by actually thinking about things as they happened and what the motivations perhaps were that led to the events.

Brian Bean is correct, by the by. All three of those men were brilliant in their own right. Twisted and broken, but also brilliant.

If you want an education on the state of the world as of the late 1960's go to youtube and search out Charles Manson. You'll have to excuse his presentation and his posturing but if you really listen you'll be amazed at what you find out.

Also, like Niamh says above, documentaries are great resources and there are so very many that are so well done you'll never be able to see them all.


EDIT:
By the way, I love the thread title. What? History and trouble in the same sentence? Say it ain't so! :D

[imthefoolonthehill]

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html

Probably the best thing for what you are looking for.