When the Wall Came Down

On the evening of November 9, 1989, East Berliners gathered at the checkpoints along the Berlin Wall, scarcely believing the announcement they had heard on television. For twenty-eight years, that concrete barrier had divided families, separated mothers from daughters, and turned a single city into two worlds. Thousands had risked death to cross it. Hundreds had died trying. When the border guards finally stepped aside, the crowds surged through with tears streaming down their faces.…