Annus horribilis. Meaning A horrible year.
Origin Derived from the Latin phrase 'annus mirabilis' - year of wonders (or miracles). Recorded since the mid 1980's but brought into popular use after Queen Elizabeth II used it to describe 1992 - the year that the marriages of her two sons Charles and Andrew broke down and Windsor Castle caught fire. John Dryden used the term 'annus mirabilis' in the title of his epic poem Annus Mirabilis: the year of wonders 1666. The earliest citation of 'annus horribilis' in print is from a report in The Guardian, March 1985: "Unlike the earlier Kostelec stories, however, The Engineer of Human Souls was written in exile in Toronto, where he was driven by the annus mirabilis, annus horribilis of 1968... " The phrase came to a wide audience in Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas message in 1992, where she said: "1992 is not a year I shall look back on with undiluted pleasure.
'Annus horribilis' speech, 24 November 1992. On 24 November 1992 The Queen gave a speech at Guildhall to mark the 40th anniversary of her Accession.
In it The Queen referred to recent events as part of an 'annus horribilis'. My Lord Mayor, Could I say, first, how delighted I am that the Lady Mayoress is here today. This great hall has provided me with some of the most memorable events of my life. The hospitality of the City of London is famous around the world, but nowhere is it more appreciated than among the members of my family. Thank you also for inviting representatives of so many organisations with which I and my family have special connections, in some cases stretching back over several generations. 1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.
And, after this last weekend, we appreciate all the more what has been set before us today. It is possible to have too much of a good thing. I sometimes wonder how future generations will judge the events of this tumultuous year. Abraham Lincoln - Gettysburg Address - American Rhetoric. Abraham Lincoln Gettysburg Address delivered 19 November 1863 Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. Original Draft Page I Original Draft Page II Research Note 1: The transcript above is known as the "Bliss" copy, the widely adopted version of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Research Note 2: Audio of Jim Getty's version provided by Joseph Slife, Emmanuel College Communication Dept. Research Note 3: William F. See also: Movie Speech: God's and Generals - Stonewall Jackson's address to the 33rd Regiment See also: Remember the Titans: "Gettysburg" speech delivered by Denzel Washington.
Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat. May 13, 1940 First Speech as Prime Minister to House of Commons On May 10, 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister.
When he met his Cabinet on May 13 he told them that "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. " He repeated that phrase later in the day when he asked the House of Commons for a vote of confidence in his new all-party government. The response of Labour was heart-warming; the Conservative reaction was luke-warm. I beg to move, That this House welcomes the formation of a Government representing the united and inflexible resolve of the nation to prosecute the war with Germany to a victorious conclusion. On Friday evening last I received His Majesty's commission to form a new Administration.
I considered it in the public interest to suggest that the House should be summoned to meet today. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. Please help support the Churchill Centre - Join or make a donation today. Inaugural Address. John F.
Kennedy Inaugural Address delivered 20 January 1961 Video Purchase Audio mp3 of Address click for pdf click for flash [AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio. (2)] [Taking the oath of Office] Vice President Johnson, Mr. We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom -- symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning -- signifying renewal, as well as change. The world is very different now. We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge -- and more. To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. We dare not tempt them with weakness. Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Martin Luther King I Have a Dream Speech - American Rhetoric. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I Have a Dream delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. Video Purchase Off-Site audio mp3 of Address [AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio. (2)] I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.