9 November 1989 - Where Were You?

Thirty years ago this evening I was working as the front desk receptionist at an engineering firm. The Cuter&Shorter Half was at home with the kids. She called me and almost shouted into the phone, 'You won't believe this'.

She held the phone up to the TV so I could hear the audio. What I heard was Tom Brokaw breaking the news that the Berlin Wall was coming down. I began to cry. I remember quite well when it went up in 1961. It was blatant violation of the Four Power Agreement on Berlin. Berliners on both sides of the border stood, waiting for the American, British, and French tanks to roll. They didn't. Thanks to Kennedy, Macmillan, and de Gaulle, Khrushchev got away with it. I never expected to live to see it come down.

As I sat there, listening, with tears running down my cheeks, co-workers who were concerned stopped to ask me what was wrong. Through my tears, I said, 'the Berlin Wall is coming down'. Within minutes, work had come to a standstill and my desk was surrounded by people as I relayed what I was hearing on the TV.

It is one of those dates and times that I will always remember exactly where I was and what I was doing.

Here is the story of how NBC got the scoop of the Cold War: 'Good evening, live from the Berlin Wall'.

An animated video on the history of the Wall.

Here is a video about the 'mistake' that brought the Wall down.

ABC News Peter Jennings (in New York) announces the news that the GDR granted absolute free movement.

And, the next night, 10 November, he's in Berlin.

And, from the AP, some footage of the destruction of the abomination.

And last, a short clip of a section of the Wall being pulled down by the people, from CNN.