These second speeches provide a tantalizing, sometimes terrifying window into what could have been if not for changes of heart or momentous turns of events.

‍In Undelivered, speechwriter Jeff Nussbaum presents some of the most notable speeches never heard, from Richard Nixon’s refusal to resign the presidency to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 acceptance of it; from Dwight Eisenhower’s apology for the failure of the D-Day invasion, to Emperor Hirohito’s apology for his role in World War II.

‍Examining the content of these speeches and the context of the historic moments that almost came to be, Nussbaum considers not only what they tell us about the past, but also how they can inform our present.