10 Mind-Blowing Misconceptions About The Berlin Wall
6. JFK Did Not Actually Refer To Himself As A Jelly Doughnut
One of the most common misconceptions to do with the Berlin Wall is actually a common misconception of a non-common misconception... if that makes any sense at all. When JFK made his famous trip to West Berlin in June 1963 and declared: Ich bin ein Berliner, he was not, as is often suggested, actually referring to himself as a jelly doughnut. Kennedy did actually, as he intended, refer to himself as a citizen of Berlin and not a pancake or Berliner as they are referred to in parts of Germany or jelly doughnut. It is argued by some that Ich bin Berliner I am a person from Berlin is the phrase Kennedy should actually have used, but without ein added to the sentence there is no way the US President, who was not actually a resident of Berlin, could have said the sentence in a way that made sense grammatically. Such a shame, really, because otherwise that certainly would have been one of those great: Ha ha, he really said that? moments. At least it clarifies my own common misconception that JFK really did think that he was actually a jelly doughnut...
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
One of the most common misconceptions to do with the Berlin Wall is actually a common misconception of a non-common misconception... if that makes any sense at all. When JFK made his famous trip to West Berlin in June 1963 and declared: Ich bin ein Berliner, he was not, as is often suggested, actually referring to himself as a jelly doughnut. Kennedy did actually, as he intended, refer to himself as a citizen of Berlin and not a pancake or Berliner as they are referred to in parts of Germany or jelly doughnut. It is argued by some that Ich bin Berliner I am a person from Berlin is the phrase Kennedy should actually have used, but without ein added to the sentence there is no way the US President, who was not actually a resident of Berlin, could have said the sentence in a way that made sense grammatically. Such a shame, really, because otherwise that certainly would have been one of those great: Ha ha, he really said that? moments. At least it clarifies my own common misconception that JFK really did think that he was actually a jelly doughnut...