Lend Me Your Ear! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin delivered this speech on July 3, 1941. The speech came two weeks after Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Stalin wouldn't announce the invasion on the radio so he had the foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov do it. Stalin delivered the "We Must Wage A Ruthless Fight" two weeks later enforcing a slash and burn policy in the Soviet Union. Twenty-five million Soviet people died in World War II.

Answer: Emperor Hirohito

Emperor Hirohito gave his speech on August 15, 1945. Emperor Hirohito was forty-four when he decided to surrender in World War II. The Japanese would hear the emperor's voice for the first time with this radio speech. Japan stopped all operations to hear Emperor Hirohito's speech.

Many Japanese citizens and officers committed suicide upon hearing the news that Japan was surrendering. For those Japanese citizens that could not get radio reception, balloons were sent up into the sky sending messages of the surrender of Japan.

Answer: Adolf Hitler

Adolph Hitler gave this speech on January 30, 1939. This speech was given on the sixth anniversary of Hitler's ascension to the chancellorship. The title of this speech was Hitler's answer to the question of what to do with the Jewish people. Hitler used the title of this 1939 speech in five other publications he wrote.

Answer: Charles de Gaulle

Charles De Gaulle gave this speech on June 18, 1940. At the time of the speech, Charles De Gaulle was France's undersecretary of state. De Gaulle asked Winston Churchill if he could give a speech and Churchill agreed considering Churchill was going to give a similar speech on the same night. Charles De Gaulle's speech followed Winston Churchill's "Their Finest Hour" speech. Because of Charles De Gaulle's "I Now Speak For France" speech, he soon became the defacto head of France. Charles De Gaulle's speech was not recorded because the sound equipment went to Churchill's speech which had already been planned.

Answer: President Franklin Roosevelt

President Franklin Roosevelt gave his speech on December 29, 1940. This speech came in between Roosevelt's inaugural address and his declaration of war on Japan. In Roosevelt's speech, he informed the United States citizens that the only way to keep U.S. troops out of the war was to send weapons to Britain. The president's speech was highly approved by the American people.

Answer: Adolf Hitler

Adolph Hitler gave this speech on April 28, 1939. This speech was directed at Franklin Roosevelt who had asked Hitler what Germany's foreign policy was going to be. Two weeks later, Hitler broadcast this speech, considered by some to be the most coherent speech of his career. Hitler wanted Roosevelt to know that he respected Britain, but considered it hostile.

He wanted access to the port of Danzig. Hitler cancelled Germany's non-aggression pact with Poland. Hitler's speech was his last major appearance before World War II began. Nothing ever came of his demands from the two hour speech he gave.

Answer: President Franklin Roosevelt

President Roosevelt gave this speech on December 8, 1941. When Churchill heard from President Roosevelt that Pearl Harbor had been attacked he was elated at the news. The six minute speech declaring the United States had entered World War II was written in its entirety by President Roosevelt. Until December 7, Congress had been undecided on whether the United States should go to war. Hours after President Roosevelt's speech, Congress was unanimous in it's vote to go to war; however, the House of Representatives had one against.

When Adolph Hitler heard the news he blamed the United States for the attack and referred to President Roosevelt as mentally insane.

Answer: General Tojo Hideki

General Tojo Hideki gave his speech on July 19, 1944. With Japan losing the war effort in World War II, drastic change was needed so the Japanese people looked to General Tojo Hideki for help. The General tried everything he could to help Japan in the war effort by changing his cabinet members to threatening to dethrone the emperor.

It didn't work. Finding no other recourse, General Hideki resigned along with his cabinet members. In his last speech, General Hideki did his best to bolster the Japanese people on behalf of the war effort.

The speech worked in his favor. Japanese workers increased their productivity and Japanese forces laid an all or nothing offense in the war.

Answer: Joseph Goebbels

Joseph Goebbels gave the speech "Total War" on February 18, 1943. The war effort in Germany was lacking and Hitler had gone into hiding. Goebbels had heard that most of the German prisoners taking during the battle of Stalingrad were alive, but to increase the war effort he announced that German prisoners taken during the battle of Stalingrad had been killed.

He went as far as to block letters from the prisoners to their loved ones so that no one would know they were alive. Goebbels had German citizens gather in the Berlin Sports Palace to hear his speech. Everyone in the Berlin Sports Palace gave Goebbels speech a twenty minute standing ovation.

His speech, which was a total lie, increased the war effort.

Answer: Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill gave this speech on June 18, 1940, the one-hundred twenty-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. After Germany took France and was headed for Britain, Winston Churchill went before Parliament to bolster the spirits of as many people as his voice could reach. In answer to Churchill's speech, one hundred German bombers hit England killing nine people.