10 Most Important Events In History Caught On Film
3. The Fall Of The Berlin Wall - 9 November 1989
When: 9 November 1989
Where: Berlin, Germany
What: For more than 50 years, the world suffered through a Cold War whose belligerents included the United States, its European allies, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The conflict spawned several proxy wars all over the world and led to the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles coupled with the widespread growth of the world's nuclear weapons.
It took a lot of people to bring about an end to that conflict, but in the end, an economic downfall and stagnation resulted in a collapse of the USSR. When that happened, the people on both sides of the conflict celebrated, whether they had won or lost, as it highlighted a new era of peace.
The jubilation resulting from the collapse of the Iron Curtain was palpable in Berlin, an occupied city, which was divided with a series of walls and fortifications following WWII. On one side, the allies stood, while the other housed the Soviets, and for decades, few were allowed to pass from one to the other.
On 9 November 1989, the collapse of the USSR led to widespread celebrations as people all over Berlin began to dismantle the Berlin Wall. They smashed it with hammers, pickaxes, and whatever else they could find. While it took longer than that night to break it all down, the celebrations captured on video that day were a symbol of peace and reunification felt all over the world.