September 3, 1939 –
Germany continued its invasion of Poland even though Britain had asked it very nicely to stop. This upset the British sensibility. They declared war on Germany. France followed suit six hours later quickly joined by Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada, making this the official launch of World War II in Europe on this date.
The King’s Speech of George VI (portrayed in the 2010 film The King’s Speech,) was broadcast to the people of Britain upon that country’s Declaration of War against Germany. Unprepared to become king, he accepted the role suddenly and reluctantly after his brother took a wife and abdicated the throne. A stutterer from the age of 8, it was almost impossible for him to pronounce the letter ‘k’, but thanks to a last-ditch speech therapist, Australian Lionel Logue (who was in the room during this radio broadcast), King George met the moment and offered great solace to the British people during a terrifying time—a feat that few thought him capable of, due to his years of stuttering.
At the mercy of his greatest weakness – public speaking – he conquered the task with great dignity, after practicing with Logue, who taught him where to pause and breathe during the speech. You can detect one of the techniques used to overcome the stutter, when he uses a very brief “a-” before some of the more difficult words.
The Haus of Dcaligari 