Five iconic speeches by world leaders

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address receives plaudits, we look at five other iconic speeches by world leaders.

2014 Independence day speech Narendra Modi



At 7,276 words, Narendra Modi's I Day speech was one of longer speeches delivered from the ramparts of Red Fort.

Election victory speech Barack Obama



In his 2,000-word victory speech in 2008, he said, "Change has come" to America, a slogan that drove his presidential campaign. With many African-American celebrities like Oprah Winfrey weeping in the crowd, the speech marked the dawn of a new era in American politics.

'Tryst with Destiny' Jawaharlal Nehru



Towards the midnight of August 15th, 1947, Nehru made his now-legendary and almost-1,100 word long speech in the Parliament House in New Delhi about India's struggle for independence. He ended with a simple, yet heartfelt 'Jai Hind'.

Gettysburg address Abraham Lincoln



The speech lasted just over two minutes and is approximately just 275-words long. Issued during the American Civil War on November 19, 1863, Lincoln-speech is stll referred to in popular culture and taught in school.

'Tear down this wall' Ronald Reagan

This 2,600-word long speech issued on June 12, 1987 was a challenge to Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin wall and destroy the symbol of Communist oppression.

'I Have a Dream ' Martin Luther King



King delivered his historic 1,650-oddwords rousing speech calling an end to racism in United States at the footsteps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, and was witnessed by 2,50,000 civil rights supporters.