One November night 35 years ago, the Berlin Wall cracked and thousands of Berliners poured through. The Iron Curtain had already started to tremor by this point: travel restrictions were easing in Hungary and Czechoslovakia and mass protests had erupted across Eastern Bloc countries. The Soviet grip was loosening. But no one expected what would happen that night.
One surprise announcement by an East German official and suddenly crowds of Berliners rushed to the wall’s checkpoints, hoping for a chance to cross. The border guards, overwhelmed and unprepared, opened the gates – allowing people to pass freely for the first time in 28 years. What began as confusion soon turned to celebration as Berliners from both east and west flooded the streets, chipping away at the wall and reclaiming their city.
