Today in history: the fall of the Berlin Wall

Today’s the day the gates opened:

After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on 9 November 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, a euphoric public and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the wall; the governments later used industrial equipment to remove most of the rest. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which was formally concluded on 3 October 1990.

Turns out, the whole thing was a bit of a screw-up. Might not have happened – at least, not on November 9 – if not for a Soviet-bloc-style communication snafu.

But, feh. Water under the bridge now. Or, more appropriately, Germans through the gate.

Just for fun, President Reagan’s “tear down this wall” speech:

And here’s Sam Donaldson interviewing Reagan right around then: