Today is the 25th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall that was erected in 1961 to stop the mass exodus of people fleeing Soviet East Berlin for West Berlin and the non-Communist world. The wall was a mass of concrete, barbed wire, and stone that cut into the heart of the city, separating families and friends.
Border of Lights
To the strains of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Brandenburg Gate and at six other locations, white balloons will be released into the skies on the night of 9 November to commemorate the peaceful revolution of 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago.
President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy Library -1963 On June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech that electrified an adoring crowd gathered in the shadow of the Berlin Wall. As he paid tribute to the spirit of Berliners and to their quest for freedom, the crowd roared with approval upon hearing the the President's dramatic pronouncement, "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner).
Twenty-four years later President Ronald Reagan made a historic appearance at the Berlin Wall. He spoke passionately about the advance of human liberty and challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall"
-
Speech card Berlin, June 12, 1987 -Ronald Reagan Library
November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall fell, signalling the end of the cold war and a monumental day in history that led to Germany's reunification.
To learn more consider Wikipedia's comprehensive listing of the segments of the wall near you...