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The fall of the Berlin Wall was extremely important in my growth as a person and my decision to study history. I was 10 years old and I watched it on television. It meant very little to me until I saw a boy about my own age amidst the people tearing it down -- it was at that point that I realized history wasn't just events from the distant past, but happening RIGHT THEN and, contrary to what I'd been led to believe from school lessons, children were part of history. Children weren't merely affected by events/history, they could be active participants in shaping history and the world around them.
I’m a couple years younger than you, but had a similar experience. I still vividly remember sitting there watching it with my grandparents, the first time I cared about what was going on in the news, and the world. History is much more than words in a book
I feel like this is relevant, so, here goes. I recently rewatched a video by the channel Abroad in Japan on the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku quake and tsunami. In it, a city official spoke about how they were unsure what to do after their hometown had been wiped off the face of the earth by the water, destroying basically all its buildings. Of course many had also been swept away and died. A short time after the school children in the area did a presentation on how they should rebuild things in the area and why, ultimatively moving the officials, making them realize that not rebuilding their hometown would mean taking those childrens future away, as they had no questions about rebuilding their hometown. Today, said city has a modern new city center, much higher tsunami defenses and a bunch of people manufacturing one of a kind projects in the whole world. Children are our reason to keep going, always have been, always will be. They won't think twice about making a brighter future.
@@Kae-Lexi Your comment is old, but I love Abroad in Japan's/Chris' videos. Seriously a talented videographer and a lot of his videos are like mini-documentaries.
How sad is it that that poor man ended up committing suicide most likely from the shame put on him by his friends and family. He was 18 when he took that fateful jump, barely even a man. Do they expect that he should have remained and suffered alongside them because they didn't get a chance like he did? It appears from the point of view that is presented here that he suffered a lot more than they did in the end to be driven to taking his own life.
I stood at the wall in '80. Even though I was a kid, the memories of the guards are still vivid. I tried to take a picture from the wall, of east Berlin, and a guard promptly pointed a rifle at me. Going through checkpoint Charlie, being thoroughly frisked, was something else. We stopped to use a restroom and guards were there in five minutes, frisking us and our vehicle all again because we stopped at the wrong restroom. After being on east Germany for only about a half hour, we left. All the while, we had a guide while there that told us about how part of her family was stuck there, stories she knew of people who'd died trying to get to escape to be with their family on the west side. It was sad and sickening to hear how this wall had devasted so many people... Including the family of this person who was showing us around. Even though I was only 8 when we were there, I never forgot that half hour visit to east Germany and the stories I heard while there. 40 years later and I still remember our guides name When in high school, we were watching the news of the Berlin Wall coming down, live, in my world history class... As the east Germany people were starting to break down the wall. I couldn't contain my happiness! I think I was the only student in my class who was outwardly happy for the east German people, who could try to connect with what what left of their families and experience the outside world, while the other students seemed to think it was people just breaking a wall that happened to border their country.
I belive that there is a museum about the wall in berlin, there they show how the wall affected different people & overall life at the time, and they display how people tried to get over (or under) the border.. would love to go there
redchic Apparently, when Reagan was going to visit Berlin, his advisors were telling him not to mention the Wall, because people didn’t want to hear about it. But one advisor spoke to enough people in Berlin to tell him that he should talk about it. Which led to his famous line “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
The day the wall came down, I was still at high school and ironically, we had a German lesson that day! Friday was the day that the German university student would come in . The whole lesson was talking about the wall and all this student girls hopes and dreams of what was to be her reunified country. The girl was crying her eyes out with joy for the whole hour! Its a day I’ll never forget!
@@Soapmaker19 there will only be one liquor, rip mr dunsworth, tpb has to be one of the best comedys ever, living in a trailer when i discovered this genius yeah some parks are pretty close to sunnyvale lol
I do wonder why he hung himself? It doesn't make much sense to me? If he was suffering from some terminal illness, then yeah I get it, taking back that last bit of control "I decide when I die illness NOT you" But surely it couldn't have been because some of his family rejected him cause he had managed just fine without them for 30 odd years. It's a bit vague. I mean I don't know whether to say "good for you" or "hold on man what are you doing?" But at least he got those years of a better life just from one jump, so that's something.
As somebody who was in the RAF and stationed in Berlin during the late 1970's working in SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) at the US listening post at Teufelsberg, then later in West Germany, I was in tears listening to this as I have a very real understanding of what was being said here. I witnessed a lot of the tragedy that was the Berliner Mauer and these stories struck home with a force I thought I'd left behind me 40 years ago. Apparently not.
I had a SIGINT job when I was in the USAF in England in the early 90's. Even though the wall had come down, there were still Russian units stationed in East Germany.
The story of the Bethke brothers needs to be made into a movie! They are a perfect example of German inventiveness put into action. The human spirit is truly amazing.
When I was in high school (mid-to-late 90's) I took a German language class via satellite. It was taught by an older gentleman who had immigrated to the US from Germany some years back. One day, he told us the story of how, when he was a young man - not much older than we were then - he just barely managed to escape on the very last train out of East Germany as they were closing the border. (Pretty sure it wasn't the "crazy train" mentioned in the video though.) Learning about it in history class was one thing, but being able to hear a first-hand account from someone who actually lived through it definitely made it more "real."
A few years back, one of the teachers at my son's school mentioned that he had been a young man wandering about Europe having a grand adventure, when November 1989 saw him in Germany. He was actually there when the wall came down. That blew me away. I was 14, living on the other side of the planet, and I remember vividly watching on tv as people took to the wall with sledgehammers or poured through the gates screaming "Freiheit!". And yes, he had a few chunks of the wall as souvenirs.
@@douggaudiosi14 Think of it as a very early version of Zoom or Twitch, but on TV via satellite broadcast instead of computers. The classes were broadcast live at the same time every day from one of our state's major universities to high schools all across the state. And, during the broadcast, if someone had a question, we could call in and ask it live on-air. Tests came in two parts - written and verbal. Written parts were graded by the class proctor. But, for the verbal part, we had to call up the university and do it over the phone. Keep in mind, this was so far back in the day, my school didn't even have the internet yet! Definitely ancient by today's standards, but it was pretty high-tech back in those days.
I was in the US Air Force, stationed in Germany, in the 1970s. At that time, Berlin was still considered a four-nation divided city, but the military from one nation could travel to the part of the city controlled by the other countries. So a friend and I decided to visit Berlin from our West Germany base, and we could also visit East Berlin. We traveled by train across East Germany into West Berlin, and we were required to keep the blinds closed while traveling across East Germany. We stayed in a military hostel in West Germany, and then we went into East Berlin. We were required to wear our uniforms, and we had to pass through Checkpoint Charlie. As we passed through, we were told that we had to let the American guards know when we would be coming back. So we gave them some random time. We were also told that we could not travel on East German streetcars or taxis, we had to go everywhere on foot. East Berliners would not talk to us unless we were buying things in stores. They avoided us at all costs. We couldn't even get them to give us directions. We traveled back to the Checkpoint, but like I said, we were on foot, so we were ten minutes late getting back. The American guards were in a US military car crossing the border to come look for us just as we got there, and we got a tongue lashing for not coming back when we said we would. While staying in the military hostel, we watched a little bit of East German TV. One thing we watched was an English language training show. The episode we watched was about "have you got" as in "Have you got the time?" The show was teaching British English. But in the background of the show, was a very subtle anti-capitalism. The two main characters were laborers who were mistreated by the boss who owned the shop they worked at.
@@seelenloserstahlbolzen Not everything needs to be a full-blown story with a lesson at the end. I found his "essay" pretty interesting, a slice of life story.
I lived in West Germany in the mid 80's. I remember we took a trip to the East/West German border, it was very eerie too look out towards the East, hearing church bells coming from there. It's something that will stay with me forever. One of your best ever presentations. I think you should do one regarding the Jews on the Polish ghetto.
I was living in the DDR(GDR) not in Berlin but in Rostock, when the wall came down and the Trabant, became car of the year, 30 years has passed, I'm getting old.
Those things have a cult following - I remember them being abandoned on the streets of Warsaw in the mid 90s when everyone and their dog was importing used German cars (the better Germany, to be clear :P )
I know it sounds funny, but when you think of it... it's actually quite sad. Imagine not being attracted to human beings, but to things! Must be such a lonely life...
Simon! Perhaps one of your greatest shows, I served in the US Marines for the last 4 years of the Cold War and some how I never heard these stories, thank you for sharing the human tragedy & triumph. Truly moving. Thank you Tim Hancock Boston Massachusetts
My favourite story of an escape from East Germany was a group who created a a huge hot air balloon, which took all of them (after a failed first attempt) over the border, into the West. The first vehicle they saw...was a police car! They asked the officers inside, if they were in the West, bemused, the officers said where else would they be
@@rachelb4398 You and SiVlog don't know the real story if all you've heard is what was on the news. There's been a cover-up on this for the past 40 years for reasons I don't know or understand.
The Ballonflucht had nothing to do with Berlin though, it all played out in Thuringia (and ended in Bavaria). The stories in this video were all directly related to Berlin itself, either because the persons came from Berlin or because they fled over/under/through the Berlin wall.
@@Li.Siyuan I would like to know what you are referring to. There has been a difference in accounts by the two families since the beginning, presumably because it was a very stressful occurrence and they just experienced it differently.
Fantastic video!!! Love this story. I was born a few months after this event and I think my generation needs to be more appreciative of our freedoms! ♥️
Simon, I've just got to say that this video is leaps and bounds better than all of the other videos that news stations have been putting up in America. And yes, I am posting a link to this video in every one of the poorly done comment sections. Keep up the awesome job!
@@AlfieEdwards I didn't realize that was fun. It sounds a bit racist, really, now that I see you using Commonwealth spelling and African American Vernacular English for simple "fun."
@@AlfieEdwards It's most definitely race related. I assume it's just something you've only seen on TV, so you don't know any better. Try that in front of someone who uses that dialect all the time, and they may just think you're making fun of them and respond accordingly.
@@briancrawford8751 Ok, then I suggest to you that the race/s you imply are allowed to speak that way not be allowed to speak, use or do anything invented by the white man. After all you wouldn't want to perforn cultural appropriation, would you?
I remember when 'The Wall' went up and again when it came down. It was one troubling event that was resolved . . . only a few thousand more to go //sigh//
I crossed through Checkpoint Charlie in July of 1989. East Berlin was drab and depressing. I could see the sadness in the population. Visiting made me realize how fortunate I was to be an American and having my freedom. My uncle lived in Frankenhain/Berkatal, close to the former BDR/DDR border. On the Werra River is a town called Lindawerra. In DDR days the town was completely fenced in and yards from West Germany. I can't imagine living there and seeing freedom so close by. I have pictures and video of the border.
As being born in Berlin (west) shortly before the wall fell and having learned not only from school but from my family aswell, this is more then true. In a strange twist of fate, west berlin, encircled by fences, walls, guns and the will toi shoot even children, was outside. And many people wanted out of east germany.
the heroes are people like my friend Alexander.. he grew up in Soviet Poland and never knew freedom.. he was constantly thinking about how flawed his system was.. he wondered if our system had similar flaws or any flaws in general.. when it fell, he went looking cautiously optimistic on what he would find.. he found America has many problems BUT it gave him a say in how to fix them.. he became a citizen of the United States of America and he supports Bernie Sanders.. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Truth..
@@AtomicReverend he already lives in a country with socialism.. its called the USA.. 2/3 of first responders are socialized.. Bernie just want that to be 3/3 so we the people dont have to worry about finances during times of emergency.. get your head straight before you speak and get your facts straight before you make claims..
@@scooby45247, nobody is saying that all socialized programs are necessarily bad one could argue that our military are First Responders and our infrastructure projects are all socialist programs they also benefit all of society not a Selected Few. It is going to be the middle class That Pays a majority of all so-called socialist programs it is always the middle class that pays all the bills... and even if it was the rich which is mathematically impossible to do why should they get taxed disproportionately compared to the rest of society? Let's look at some of the issues comrade Bernie supports. Who is going to pay for all the college tuitions that he wants to allow people to default on? Who is going to pay for the extremely high minimum wage he proposes? Who is going to pay for his so-called universal healthcare that also covers illegal aliens? Who gets hurt Worst by his proposals? It is the lower end of middle class Americans the same ones that are just getting by without taking any government assistance or benefits. It is the American blacks and the American Hispanics that will end up funding his proposals the same ones that couldn't afford to go to college to begin with... it will be blue-collar Americans that get hit the hardest with that communist executive ordering taxes on everybody... The only saving grace to that man is I don't think he's going to be around another year or two due to his failing health... nor do I think he is electable against a candidate such as Trump with a stellar economy. So this argument is somewhat pointless.
@@AtomicReverend so you think that somehow Bernie will implement a system that taxes poor people money that they dont have? that doesnt make any sense.. but i dont expect any sense to come from one of Trumps boot lickers so have a nice day and maybe change the channel off Faux News once in a while..
There is no debating with these people. There is no reasoning with these people. There is no common ground that can be reached with these people. Because there is no understanding! They are programmed to think and react in particular way and their is no changing their minds or getting rid of them. Which you commonly see in people from the western world now at a growing rate, in particular from current generation back to the baby boomers due to ideological subversion and demoralization of western society. There is actually plenty of people whom come from communist and former communist nations that end up voting for the very things that brought them their final solution "communism" after the goal was achieved "socialism". Part of the reason why most immigrants tend to vote democratically, and people will change the place they live but not the way they vote. And they do this without even realizing it just as they or their relatives or their ancestors have before them. Its what the Soviets liked to call useful idiots or useful innocents! One way to look at it is like this, slavery ended in America how many years ago while blacks and whites have continued to live together ever since. Yet how many still continue to hold onto those racist veiws all these years later and how many blacks still continue to view all whites as truely evil while how many of them will then claim that they are not racist as well, which said issues are not the same in other nations or atleast to the degree that it is here? Well same can be said for former communist countries and people from them, except its political views and ideologies instead.
@EmperorJuliusCaesar I believe it refers to a scene in which the protagonist's mother wanders outside after being bedridden for months, and sees a large statue of Lenin being flown by helicopter down the avenue and into the distance (after the statue had been removed from where it had presumably stood for many years). It helps symbolise the changes that have occurred while she was in a coma (brought on by shock at seeing her son being arrested as a dissident shortly before the events of November 9, 1989).
EmperorJuliusCaesar bro Lenin tried to conquer Germany too… only at Trotsky’s urging but the Soviet-Polish War did happen. If they had beaten Poland they would have invaded Germany.
@@sandrastreifel6452 I wish I was alive to see it a pinnacle moment in history. Was born 5 years later tho. And yeah for sure his dad was serving in the canadian armed forces and was sent to west berlin. Thats how they ended up being there when it came down. I can only imagine the joy that all of germany felt not to mention countless others. I agree truly epic that she got a piece she knew how important it was.
Taylor Simons I have pieces of the wall to. I was there in June 1990 during my summer school break in high school. Taking the train from must have been Sassnitz down to Berlin was pretty weird. Everything looked really run down, huge cracks in every street, smog and the whole DDR style. Can’t link any pictures but yes I took some cool pictures and the wall pieces has been in glass jar since then.
Maybe it's 'cause I'm depressed, or 'cause I knew most of the escape stories, but I'm really glad of hearing of the love ones. Or maybe I'm just a romantic at heart. In any case, thanks for sharing those.
When i was 11 a friend was in berlin when the wall came down he bought back shades of cerment and gave them to his class mates. I still have those peices of the berlin wall 30 years later.
A great show, very moving, that everyone should watch, especially those who didn't live through the era of the Berlin Wall and a divided Germany. Although I know the focus was more on the impact on everyday people, I still think you should have included the clip from Ronald Reagan's iconic speech: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
I visited the stasi prison in Berlin a few years ago. I still have the chills running against my spine when I think about the things I saw and the stories I heard when I was there. Some of the guides were ex prisoners. Not very fun, but super impressive to visit.
I remember being in daycare and they rolled the tv in to show the the wall coming down. One of the daycare workers was crying and said that she could finally meet her grandmother. I was 5 and i still remember how happy she looked
Damn this was such a badass episode. I got chills hearing the stories. People are capable of incredible things when faced with hardships. Also, sad balls that handsome guy hung himself.
they didnt build a wall to keep people out.. they built it to keep people in.. BIG difference.. build your wall if it makes you happy.. just dont ask me to pay for it in any way shape or form..
I love this channel! I especially like the videos about events that I experienced first hand and/or was alive when they occurred. I used to listen to my grandparents tell me stories from their lives. They lived (in England) through both world wars, the Cold War, the moon landing, invention of the air plane, travel by horse, car, train, jet plane, from telegraph to cell phones, radio to tv to Internet, snail mail to email, and lived to see the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, my grandparents lived long enough to tell some of their stories to my grandson, 5 generations in all. I miss them very much.
Tunnel 57 was about 475 feet and three feet in diameter. I crawled through a four-foot diameter tunnel that was 630 feet about six times a couple years ago. It was brutal. A freight train rider gutter punk girl with tattoos on her face went with us, and she cried miserably when we finally made it out, and those freight train rider gutter punk girls with tattoos on their faces are pretty tough. Of course, it was a two-way trip, and it was also that for diggers of Tunnel 57. Can't even imagine digging a comparable tunnel, having to crawl down there and back so many times to finish it. Props to those students.
i stood guard duty in coburg west germany on my 19th birthday with the 2/2 acr october 18th 1989. one of the strangest days i have lived through. always have been a car guy and my heart bled for these people that only had the trabant to drive. what a terrible little car. that summed up communusim for me.
Friend of mine came through as a baby, hidden under a painting in the boot of a car. He is now a top psychiatrist, tending to locked up criminally insane patients....
I was supposed to take my driving test the day the wall opened up. Since my driving school was closed to check point Charly and all the streets were gridlocked I made it just a few feet out of the parking lot before traffic came to a complete stand still. Given the circumstances I was given just an oral exam and got my driver's license, I had to walk almost 10 miles to get on a Subway to get home. The following weeks were the most memorable of my childhood, I grew up 2 miles from the spot where most people died trying to escape, I remember waking up in the middle of the night from gun shots or landmines exploding.
I lived in Fulda, Germany from 1979-1982. My dad got orders to San Antonio, Tx in ‘82. I went back to Germany to Heidelberg in June ‘89 for my senior trip, my dad was stationed there. We went to Berlin and it was a world I’d never seen before. Driving through Checkpoint Alpha I saw a kid that was possible younger than I was...I was eating Chips Ahoy cookies and he was just staring at me. I wanted to give him a cookie but knew that was dangerous. Knowing we had a specific time frame to reach Checkpoint Bravo I was a nervous wreck. West Berlin reminded me of New York (what I saw on tv anyway) and it was LOUD, no matter what time of day. Lights and shops and people everywhere. (We stayed downtown) I got too close to the West’s river bank and a boat zoomed up screaming for me to get back while guns were pointed at me. I really don’t believe they thought I was trying to swim to the East’s side...they were just flexing their muscles. We went over Checkpoint Charlie and my dad had to wear his uniform. We would ride the U-ban and S-ban and I was worried once again we would be stuck over there. It was truly a grey existence when you got past the first 2 blocks. My week in Berlin was once in a lifetime and I experienced communism, something I never want to experience again. “I came, I saw and I shopped” - Something I never forgot that was written on the West’s graffiti wall. I have a picture of it.
It was right after the wall fell, 1990. There was still no trust between countries. A man in a remote part of Russia was in an auto wreck and severely injured. He was part of a HAM radio group(glorified CB radio). The man was dying and his friend contacted someone in the states, asking if they knew any neurosurgeons. That man called my dad. In 1990, my dad began offering medical advice to save this Russian named Oleg, who had suffered massive head trauma. The Russian doctors couldn’t believe that an American would genuinely try to help. They actually thought, at first, Dad was trying to kill him but the advice Dad have worked the first time and they began to trust him. Dad then suffered a massive heart condition that required surgery. One day after surgery Dad was back on the radio helping to save Oleg, who needed multiple surgeries. Seriously, Pops was a hero. Oleg is still alive though my dad and the man at the radio have both passed on. I thought this video was a great place to share this memory. Seriously, Simon, it’s such cool story, that it probably qualifies for one of your videos.
Both were heros. Anyone who stands up for what they believe in, or seizes that which they most desire with courage, and dignity deserve not but praise for their actions. Each man fights his battles how they know best. To berate another for having the courage to do what you do not is a great sin. To stand up, and rebel against you do not believe in with dignity, this is a great thing. The day this world no longer needs heros is the day we have given up on all desire, and passion, for a world of peace with two or more, is quite impossible.
You won my heart with the "Heroes" and "Crazy train" (obvious) references, Mr. Whistler. This topic always hits hard on my heartstrings, I don't know why. Keep up the great work.
I hope you do more on the Berlin Wall and/or the East/West Germany divide - it's all so incredibly interesting, and moreover, inspiring. Thank you for this video!
I was privileged to serve in the US Army's Berlin Brigade in 1963/4. Several years ago I was able to visit Berlin and exercise an everyday reality for Berliners today. I walked from the former West Berlin through the Brandenburger Gate and into the former East Berlin where I bought a Coke and a Currywurst and found a place to sit and enjoy it. No police were present and the people moving about were not the least bit concerned. We won.
I've got a regular customer at work who was part of the US garrison in Berlin along the wall. He was a supply sergeant, ran a tight ship, and met his wife there. He comes in every Wednesday evening to get lottery tickets after going to visit his wife in the hospital/nursing home (she goes back and forth, unfortunately, due to her health). I've been dealing with him for almost four years, now, and while his jokes and stories are interesting at first, I have heard all of them...once a week...for almost four years.
You forgot to mention peter strelzyk who escaped in a homemade hot air balloon with his wife and children, with another family in September 16th 1979. Disney made a movie about it, starring John Hurt. Actually got two funny stories from my dad, when he visited West Germany in the 80s, when serving in the Canadian army. His platoon were taking pictures by the wall, probably near checkpoint Charlie and they could see East Germany. They were taking pictures of his platoon. The Americans that were supervising the platoon, gave strict orders to not engage with the East German soldiers. None of them listen, after finishing taking pictures they turned around and waved at a East German watchtower and pose for a photo. This is the funny part the German guard put a finger up signalling them to wait. Came back with a camera with one of those giant lenses and he took pictures. Those photos probably reached Moscow. The Americans just shook their heads and probably exclaimed "damn Canadians". The other story, his platoon was on a trip,. His patoon squeeze into two double decker buses On the trip they drank a ton of wine and got very drunk. Here's the funny part, they took a pit stop. So these West Germans saw two double decker buses filled over capacity was drunk Canadians, empty within minutes. A german asked the guide "Americans?" The platoon guide said "no, Canadians". My father gained at least 10 lbs by the time he left Germany, my parents were going to get married a couple months after the trip. He was able to lose the weight in time for the wedding. Canadians know how to have a good time and we love to annoy our Americans counterparts.
If you travel to Berlin go to the museum at checkpoint charlie, you'll see all the way's and various instruments used to escape the oppressive GDR...Also, see the Pergamon museum on the unter den linden...And now, the rivers have boats and promenades, the the blood rivers where many were shot and killed...
There was even a crazier attempt: a woman wanted to flee DDR to meet her Western fiance, so they agreed to meet in Poland. There she went with another male friend pretending to be s tourist and waiting for her guy, who was supposed to bring fake passports for all of them. But he didn't show up. The lady correctly assumed that her fiance had been caught by Stasi, so there was no way back for her and her other friend. They made a plan so cunning that it actually worked. The guy went to a bazaar in Gdańsk, bought a plastic pistol, the pair bought plane tickets to East Berlin and did what many others had done before: forced the plane to land in Tempelhof in the West.
I was 15 when the wall fell. I remember thinking it was like the Bastille being torn down. People getting together to systematically dismantle a physical symbol of oppression. It's so beautiful
When I was like 6 or 7 I was waiting for a cartoon to begin on German TV. I lived close to the German border. Before that there was the Tagesschau who aired a report of some people swimming across the Elbe whilst the STASI were trying to capture them and the West-Berliner police trying to save them. It made a very big impression on me. Still does apperently.
We’ve all heard most of these Berlin Wall stories, but did anyone ever escape across the actual Inner German Border, which was much more heavily fortified than the Berlin Wall?
TheLocalLt Yes a lot escaped across the Inner German Border, just for example a family built its own hot air balloon. Also quite a lot of persons escaped through the Baltic Sea.
Me: "What wonderful stories of people who braved an authoritarian government to escape misery!" Video: "A woman married the Berlin wall." Me: ".... What the f***?"
What an amazing video, great work as always. 👍🏻 I was lucky enough to visit Berlin in 1996 as a teenage foreign exchange student. The city was still healing and there was still a distinct boundary between east and west. At the time there was still a few small sections of wall still standing. The time I spent there and the experiences I had forever changed me as a person, giving me perspective and wider view of the world I never had as a farm kid from rural America. I’ll never forget and will always have a special place in my heart for this great city.
Fun Fact: Members from Rammstein were apparently being monitored by the Stassi as they were musicians in the GDR pubk scene. At the time they were in a popular band called “Feeling B”.
Excellent piece! The one disappointment was the omission of Pres. Reagan's quote from his 1987 speech at the Berlin Wall: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Have you checked out my latest channel Business Blaze? It's interesting business stories with a dose of ridiculousness thrown in. Check it out here:
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Simon, you should do the biography on "Crazy Joe" Clark!
6:10 you said it haha. I’m childish. I can’t help it 😃😃😃
erich honecker didnt just resign though...he was ousted by the polit buro. And resigned...,,willfully"
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Whole new meaning to get off my fence
"he came, he saw, he conquered" Oh my. That was amazing.
More likely - he saw, he conquered, he came...
Ted thesailor indeed! 😂
This needs to be made into a movie... like, YESTERDAY!!
My man smashed
Yeah that girl rocks. "Was he worth it? Of course he was!"
The story of the brothers is just amazing, amagine seeing your brothers drop out of the sky "get in nerd were goin to west germany". X')
Ik right
The coolest shit ever.
"She has since shifted her affections to a nearby garden fence" I lost it!😂😂
It'll never last. She was vulnerable and on the rebound, and fences are always between two people.
I was gonna reply with that also...but ya beat me to it...hahahaha....so funny...I wondered if it were true or just comic genius?
that funny thing
she just loves wood pmsl
I know whe shouldn't laugh at this psychological condition, but I couldn't help it.
The fall of the Berlin Wall was extremely important in my growth as a person and my decision to study history. I was 10 years old and I watched it on television. It meant very little to me until I saw a boy about my own age amidst the people tearing it down -- it was at that point that I realized history wasn't just events from the distant past, but happening RIGHT THEN and, contrary to what I'd been led to believe from school lessons, children were part of history. Children weren't merely affected by events/history, they could be active participants in shaping history and the world around them.
I’m a couple years younger than you, but had a similar experience. I still vividly remember sitting there watching it with my grandparents, the first time I cared about what was going on in the news, and the world. History is much more than words in a book
I was born after 9/11. So I never got a moment like that.
I feel like this is relevant, so, here goes.
I recently rewatched a video by the channel Abroad in Japan on the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku quake and tsunami.
In it, a city official spoke about how they were unsure what to do after their hometown had been wiped off the face of the earth by the water, destroying basically all its buildings. Of course many had also been swept away and died.
A short time after the school children in the area did a presentation on how they should rebuild things in the area and why, ultimatively moving the officials, making them realize that not rebuilding their hometown would mean taking those childrens future away, as they had no questions about rebuilding their hometown.
Today, said city has a modern new city center, much higher tsunami defenses and a bunch of people manufacturing one of a kind projects in the whole world.
Children are our reason to keep going, always have been, always will be. They won't think twice about making a brighter future.
@@Kae-Lexi Your comment is old, but I love Abroad in Japan's/Chris' videos. Seriously a talented videographer and a lot of his videos are like mini-documentaries.
How sad is it that that poor man ended up committing suicide most likely from the shame put on him by his friends and family. He was 18 when he took that fateful jump, barely even a man. Do they expect that he should have remained and suffered alongside them because they didn't get a chance like he did?
It appears from the point of view that is presented here that he suffered a lot more than they did in the end to be driven to taking his own life.
i think some of his family were hardliners
I keep a postcard of Schumann's escape on my desk.
That's communism: communal misery. If one suffers, all must suffer, capitalism is evil for wanting to not suffer while others do.
They may have resented him for having the courage to escape when they did not.
Crab mentality
I stood at the wall in '80. Even though I was a kid, the memories of the guards are still vivid. I tried to take a picture from the wall, of east Berlin, and a guard promptly pointed a rifle at me. Going through checkpoint Charlie, being thoroughly frisked, was something else. We stopped to use a restroom and guards were there in five minutes, frisking us and our vehicle all again because we stopped at the wrong restroom. After being on east Germany for only about a half hour, we left. All the while, we had a guide while there that told us about how part of her family was stuck there, stories she knew of people who'd died trying to get to escape to be with their family on the west side. It was sad and sickening to hear how this wall had devasted so many people... Including the family of this person who was showing us around. Even though I was only 8 when we were there, I never forgot that half hour visit to east Germany and the stories I heard while there. 40 years later and I still remember our guides name
When in high school, we were watching the news of the Berlin Wall coming down, live, in my world history class... As the east Germany people were starting to break down the wall. I couldn't contain my happiness! I think I was the only student in my class who was outwardly happy for the east German people, who could try to connect with what what left of their families and experience the outside world, while the other students seemed to think it was people just breaking a wall that happened to border their country.
This story deserves a book
Thunderstrucker or a movie of the week
Perspective is crazy, innit?
I belive that there is a museum about the wall in berlin, there they show how the wall affected different people & overall life at the time, and they display how people tried to get over (or under) the border.. would love to go there
redchic Apparently, when Reagan was going to visit Berlin, his advisors were telling him not to mention the Wall, because people didn’t want to hear about it. But one advisor spoke to enough people in Berlin to tell him that he should talk about it. Which led to his famous line “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
The day the wall came down, I was still at high school and ironically, we had a German lesson that day! Friday was the day that the German university student would come in . The whole lesson was talking about the wall and all this student girls hopes and dreams of what was to be her reunified country. The girl was crying her eyes out with joy for the whole hour! Its a day I’ll never forget!
Thumbs up for the comment and the screen name/pic. RIP Mr. Lahey.
valkyriemedic Thanks bobandy!
@@Soapmaker19 there will only be one liquor, rip mr dunsworth, tpb has to be one of the best comedys ever, living in a trailer when i discovered this genius yeah some parks are pretty close to sunnyvale lol
Konrad’s end broke my heart...... 😢
Same. Pissed me off too. His family and friends begrudged him seeking a better life, how dark can fate be?
I do wonder why he hung himself? It doesn't make much sense to me? If he was suffering from some terminal illness, then yeah I get it, taking back that last bit of control "I decide when I die illness NOT you" But surely it couldn't have been because some of his family rejected him cause he had managed just fine without them for 30 odd years. It's a bit vague. I mean I don't know whether to say "good for you" or "hold on man what are you doing?"
But at least he got those years of a better life just from one jump, so that's something.
Simon pronouncing "Re-geena" like vagina broke my heart...
He was sick. It's not like there are no psychiatrists in Germany.
As somebody who was in the RAF and stationed in Berlin during the late 1970's working in SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) at the US listening post at Teufelsberg, then later in West Germany, I was in tears listening to this as I have a very real understanding of what was being said here. I witnessed a lot of the tragedy that was the Berliner Mauer and these stories struck home with a force I thought I'd left behind me 40 years ago. Apparently not.
RAF, the communist terror organization funded by the GDR?
Thulyblu I think not the Rote Armee Fraktion but the Royal Air Force
I had a SIGINT job when I was in the USAF in England in the early 90's. Even though the wall had come down, there were still Russian units stationed in East Germany.
The story of the Bethke brothers needs to be made into a movie! They are a perfect example of German inventiveness put into action.
The human spirit is truly amazing.
there is.. its more of a documentary style one tho!
When I was in high school (mid-to-late 90's) I took a German language class via satellite. It was taught by an older gentleman who had immigrated to the US from Germany some years back. One day, he told us the story of how, when he was a young man - not much older than we were then - he just barely managed to escape on the very last train out of East Germany as they were closing the border. (Pretty sure it wasn't the "crazy train" mentioned in the video though.) Learning about it in history class was one thing, but being able to hear a first-hand account from someone who actually lived through it definitely made it more "real."
A few years back, one of the teachers at my son's school mentioned that he had been a young man wandering about Europe having a grand adventure, when November 1989 saw him in Germany. He was actually there when the wall came down. That blew me away. I was 14, living on the other side of the planet, and I remember vividly watching on tv as people took to the wall with sledgehammers or poured through the gates screaming "Freiheit!". And yes, he had a few chunks of the wall as souvenirs.
You took a German language class via satellite in the 90s? What does that even mean
@@douggaudiosi14 Think of it as a very early version of Zoom or Twitch, but on TV via satellite broadcast instead of computers. The classes were broadcast live at the same time every day from one of our state's major universities to high schools all across the state. And, during the broadcast, if someone had a question, we could call in and ask it live on-air. Tests came in two parts - written and verbal. Written parts were graded by the class proctor. But, for the verbal part, we had to call up the university and do it over the phone. Keep in mind, this was so far back in the day, my school didn't even have the internet yet! Definitely ancient by today's standards, but it was pretty high-tech back in those days.
"She has since shifted her affections to a nearby garden fence". 🤣🤣 Made me spit my food out.
I was in the US Air Force, stationed in Germany, in the 1970s. At that time, Berlin was still considered a four-nation divided city, but the military from one nation could travel to the part of the city controlled by the other countries. So a friend and I decided to visit Berlin from our West Germany base, and we could also visit East Berlin. We traveled by train across East Germany into West Berlin, and we were required to keep the blinds closed while traveling across East Germany. We stayed in a military hostel in West Germany, and then we went into East Berlin. We were required to wear our uniforms, and we had to pass through Checkpoint Charlie. As we passed through, we were told that we had to let the American guards know when we would be coming back. So we gave them some random time. We were also told that we could not travel on East German streetcars or taxis, we had to go everywhere on foot.
East Berliners would not talk to us unless we were buying things in stores. They avoided us at all costs. We couldn't even get them to give us directions.
We traveled back to the Checkpoint, but like I said, we were on foot, so we were ten minutes late getting back. The American guards were in a US military car crossing the border to come look for us just as we got there, and we got a tongue lashing for not coming back when we said we would.
While staying in the military hostel, we watched a little bit of East German TV. One thing we watched was an English language training show. The episode we watched was about "have you got" as in "Have you got the time?" The show was teaching British English. But in the background of the show, was a very subtle anti-capitalism. The two main characters were laborers who were mistreated by the boss who owned the shop they worked at.
boring, you could have saved yourself the time in East-Berlin and your little Essay here. You missed your own point, didn't you?
@@seelenloserstahlbolzen Not everything needs to be a full-blown story with a lesson at the end.
I found his "essay" pretty interesting, a slice of life story.
Wery interesting
@@seelenloserstahlbolzen Shut up. I for one found his comment informative. Learnt a couple things
Thank you for sharing your experience.
I lived in West Germany in the mid 80's. I remember we took a trip to the East/West German border, it was very eerie too look out towards the East, hearing church bells coming from there. It's something that will stay with me forever.
One of your best ever presentations. I think you should do one regarding the Jews on the Polish ghetto.
“Mr. Whistler, tear down this wall!”
Simon would just whistle and that wall would crumble.
Mr whistler its Re-geena not Vagina 😫🤣
I was living in the DDR(GDR) not in Berlin but in Rostock, when the wall came down and the Trabant, became car of the year, 30 years has passed, I'm getting old.
Those things have a cult following - I remember them being abandoned on the streets of Warsaw in the mid 90s when everyone and their dog was importing used German cars (the better Germany, to be clear :P )
The little tabby I love those cars
thae trabby couldve been the car of every year
Moin, viele Grüße aus Rostock 🤙🏻🏖
Jose Antonio Lago doesn't sound very German. Socialist brother from Cuba perhaps?
"He saw, he came, he conquered"...and then I came.
the conrad story has such a sad end :(
1:30 - Chapter 1 - Building the wall
5:45 - Chapter 2 - Great escapes
11:55 - Chapter 3 - Berlin love stories
15:25 - Chapter 4 - Sigrid & torsten
18:30 - Chapter 5 - Eija & riita
19:45 - Chapter 6 - Heroes
"Since then she has shifted her affection to a nearby garden fence"
I laughed for about 5 min from that sentence
I know it sounds funny, but when you think of it... it's actually quite sad. Imagine not being attracted to human beings, but to things! Must be such a lonely life...
She really took sitting on the fence to a whole new level
Haha
Simon!
Perhaps one of your greatest shows, I served in the US Marines for the last 4 years of the Cold War and some how I never heard these stories, thank you for sharing the human tragedy & triumph. Truly moving. Thank you
Tim Hancock
Boston Massachusetts
My favourite story of an escape from East Germany was a group who created a a huge hot air balloon, which took all of them (after a failed first attempt) over the border, into the West. The first vehicle they saw...was a police car! They asked the officers inside, if they were in the West, bemused, the officers said where else would they be
Yeah, I was waiting for the hot-air balloon story; I'm a little disappointed they didn't cover it. But it was still a great video
@@rachelb4398 You and SiVlog don't know the real story if all you've heard is what was on the news. There's been a cover-up on this for the past 40 years for reasons I don't know or understand.
i just typed the same story, def balls of steel doing that one
The Ballonflucht had nothing to do with Berlin though, it all played out in Thuringia (and ended in Bavaria). The stories in this video were all directly related to Berlin itself, either because the persons came from Berlin or because they fled over/under/through the Berlin wall.
@@Li.Siyuan I would like to know what you are referring to. There has been a difference in accounts by the two families since the beginning, presumably because it was a very stressful occurrence and they just experienced it differently.
Could you cover the DMZ on the Korean peninsula? And keep up the fantastic work :).
I second this.
Third this.
Bring back the Bull Moose party Teddy!
I have some authentic pictures I can give as long as I am credited ;)
I second this. The technical name for it is the 38th parallel i believe.
Fantastic video!!! Love this story. I was born a few months after this event and I think my generation needs to be more appreciative of our freedoms! ♥️
Just the ozzy reference is worth the like!
Bowie reference too in the intro, I think someone was having some fun writing this one :P
I'm starting to think Simon is a bit of a metalhead. Seems like every other episode has a metal band in it somewhere.
Could sowing the seeds of passion at 13:00 be concidered a tears for fears reference?
Hannah M And a relevant reference, too: Bowie recorded Heroes in Berlin, the lyrics mention the wall and the guards.
Simon, I've just got to say that this video is leaps and bounds better than all of the other videos that news stations have been putting up in America. And yes, I am posting a link to this video in every one of the poorly done comment sections. Keep up the awesome job!
Swedish lady be like: look at how they massacred my boy
"Swedish lady be like?" Really?
@@AlfieEdwards I didn't realize that was fun. It sounds a bit racist, really, now that I see you using Commonwealth spelling and African American Vernacular English for simple "fun."
@@AlfieEdwards It's most definitely race related. I assume it's just something you've only seen on TV, so you don't know any better. Try that in front of someone who uses that dialect all the time, and they may just think you're making fun of them and respond accordingly.
@@briancrawford8751 Ok, then I suggest to you that the race/s you imply are allowed to speak that way not be allowed to speak, use or do anything invented by the white man. After all you wouldn't want to perforn cultural appropriation, would you?
@@briancrawford8751 my god you are a freak
I remember when 'The Wall' went up and again when it came down. It was one troubling event that was resolved . . . only a few thousand more to go //sigh//
I crossed through Checkpoint Charlie in July of 1989. East Berlin was drab and depressing. I could see the sadness in the population. Visiting made me realize how fortunate I was to be an American and having my freedom.
My uncle lived in Frankenhain/Berkatal, close to the former BDR/DDR border. On the Werra River is a town called Lindawerra. In DDR days the town was completely fenced in and yards from West Germany. I can't imagine living there and seeing freedom so close by. I have pictures and video of the border.
I live close by to Lindewerra.
All of the East was "drab and depressing". Why do you think we fought against it?
It has been said somewhere (I won’t take credit for this) that walls are far more effective in keeping things in than keeping things out.
As being born in Berlin (west) shortly before the wall fell and having learned not only from school but from my family aswell, this is more then true. In a strange twist of fate, west berlin, encircled by fences, walls, guns and the will toi shoot even children, was outside. And many people wanted out of east germany.
Wise words.
Yeah commies need to keep people in so they can keep taking all the peoples money to keep them financially crippled
summerfireking A quite capitalist country has in recent times been very enthusiastic about building walls.
@@--enyo-- Yeah, to keep people out. (Not that I agree with it.)
the heroes are people like my friend Alexander..
he grew up in Soviet Poland and never knew freedom..
he was constantly thinking about how flawed his system was..
he wondered if our system had similar flaws or any flaws in general..
when it fell, he went looking cautiously optimistic on what he would find..
he found America has many problems BUT it gave him a say in how to fix them..
he became a citizen of the United States of America and he supports Bernie Sanders..
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Truth..
He supports Bernie Sanders he's going to soon have a socialist country to live in yet again...
@@AtomicReverend he already lives in a country with socialism.. its called the USA.. 2/3 of first responders are socialized.. Bernie just want that to be 3/3 so we the people dont have to worry about finances during times of emergency.. get your head straight before you speak and get your facts straight before you make claims..
@@scooby45247, nobody is saying that all socialized programs are necessarily bad one could argue that our military are First Responders and our infrastructure projects are all socialist programs they also benefit all of society not a Selected Few. It is going to be the middle class That Pays a majority of all so-called socialist programs it is always the middle class that pays all the bills... and even if it was the rich which is mathematically impossible to do why should they get taxed disproportionately compared to the rest of society? Let's look at some of the issues comrade Bernie supports. Who is going to pay for all the college tuitions that he wants to allow people to default on? Who is going to pay for the extremely high minimum wage he proposes? Who is going to pay for his so-called universal healthcare that also covers illegal aliens? Who gets hurt Worst by his proposals? It is the lower end of middle class Americans the same ones that are just getting by without taking any government assistance or benefits. It is the American blacks and the American Hispanics that will end up funding his proposals the same ones that couldn't afford to go to college to begin with... it will be blue-collar Americans that get hit the hardest with that communist executive ordering taxes on everybody...
The only saving grace to that man is I don't think he's going to be around another year or two due to his failing health... nor do I think he is electable against a candidate such as Trump with a stellar economy. So this argument is somewhat pointless.
@@AtomicReverend so you think that somehow Bernie will implement a system that taxes poor people money that they dont have? that doesnt make any sense.. but i dont expect any sense to come from one of Trumps boot lickers so have a nice day and maybe change the channel off Faux News once in a while..
There is no debating with these people. There is no reasoning with these people. There is no common ground that can be reached with these people. Because there is no understanding! They are programmed to think and react in particular way and their is no changing their minds or getting rid of them. Which you commonly see in people from the western world now at a growing rate, in particular from current generation back to the baby boomers due to ideological subversion and demoralization of western society.
There is actually plenty of people whom come from communist and former communist nations that end up voting for the very things that brought them their final solution "communism" after the goal was achieved "socialism". Part of the reason why most immigrants tend to vote democratically, and people will change the place they live but not the way they vote. And they do this without even realizing it just as they or their relatives or their ancestors have before them. Its what the Soviets liked to call useful idiots or useful innocents!
One way to look at it is like this, slavery ended in America how many years ago while blacks and whites have continued to live together ever since. Yet how many still continue to hold onto those racist veiws all these years later and how many blacks still continue to view all whites as truely evil while how many of them will then claim that they are not racist as well, which said issues are not the same in other nations or atleast to the degree that it is here? Well same can be said for former communist countries and people from them, except its political views and ideologies instead.
To anyone interested, I highly recommend a movie called Goodbye Lenin. They actually show the march at the end of October
I've been looking for that movie for so long, any idea where I could find it?
@@MrOskizo you can rent or buy it on UA-cam. I did, lol
@EmperorJuliusCaesar buddy, I didn't make the movie. If you want to complain - find the Germans who did...
@EmperorJuliusCaesar I believe it refers to a scene in which the protagonist's mother wanders outside after being bedridden for months, and sees a large statue of Lenin being flown by helicopter down the avenue and into the distance (after the statue had been removed from where it had presumably stood for many years). It helps symbolise the changes that have occurred while she was in a coma (brought on by shock at seeing her son being arrested as a dissident shortly before the events of November 9, 1989).
EmperorJuliusCaesar bro Lenin tried to conquer Germany too… only at Trotsky’s urging but the Soviet-Polish War did happen. If they had beaten Poland they would have invaded Germany.
My friends mom has a piece of the wall. She was there when it came down. its pree cool the historical significants it's not just concrete and rebar.
Tell her to keep it in plastic wrap or something; the concrete might well be permeated with asbestos.
I’ll never forget seeing the Wall come down, on TV. Your friend’s mom was lucky to be there, to see that, and have a chunk of the Wall.
@@sandrastreifel6452 I wish I was alive to see it a pinnacle moment in history. Was born 5 years later tho. And yeah for sure his dad was serving in the canadian armed forces and was sent to west berlin. Thats how they ended up being there when it came down. I can only imagine the joy that all of germany felt not to mention countless others. I agree truly epic that she got a piece she knew how important it was.
@@thedungeondelver I will run that buy her for sure her has it in the storage box thing.
Taylor Simons I have pieces of the wall to. I was there in June 1990 during my summer school break in high school. Taking the train from must have been Sassnitz down to Berlin was pretty weird. Everything looked really run down, huge cracks in every street, smog and the whole DDR style.
Can’t link any pictures but yes I took some cool pictures and the wall pieces has been in glass jar since then.
the Bethke brothers are such a great story..
GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH..
DONT TREAD ON ME personified..
They deserve a movie!
@@12jswilson DARN TOOTIN'!!
I can't believe we live in a day where people still praise the USSR
Ahhhhhh!!!, its pronounced Regeena (Everytime the name was spoken, i heard *vagina*)
Johny Rose then you’ll never want to go to Regina(rhymes with vagina), Saskatchewan, Canada. 😆
@@Tripsshetakes *that's why Regina rhymes with fun!*
@@Tripsshetakes And we also have a town called Climax in Saskatchewan; such a fun province....lol!
I love how he pronounces it. It cracks me up everytime!
take a cold shower young man
Maybe it's 'cause I'm depressed, or 'cause I knew most of the escape stories, but I'm really glad of hearing of the love ones.
Or maybe I'm just a romantic at heart. In any case, thanks for sharing those.
Now David Bowie`s Heros is stuck in my head. Thanks!
I've seen the wall in person on a gray, rainy day and there are no words to describe it.
Yeah, really dystopic and depressing.
When i was 11 a friend was in berlin when the wall came down he bought back shades of cerment and gave them to his class mates. I still have those peices of the berlin wall 30 years later.
I thought David Hasselhof had brought the wall down.
Lol Gorbachev
David Hasselhoff had a large effect on the people there and perform there im a unification concert
Yeah, Hasselhoff is really big in Germany.
Actually, it was Chuck Norris
Didnt he perform at the fall of the wall in a flashing fairy lights jacket? It's a vague memory I have haha.
A great show, very moving, that everyone should watch, especially those who didn't live through the era of the Berlin Wall and a divided Germany. Although I know the focus was more on the impact on everyday people, I still think you should have included the clip from Ronald Reagan's iconic speech: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
I never liked President Reagan much, but that was a GREAT speech!!!
@@sandrastreifel6452 Regardless of what you think of Reagan, that was arguably one of the most important speeches of the 1980's.
Born East German I truly had goosebumps on your final conclusion. Well spoken.
Love this channel.
I visited the stasi prison in Berlin a few years ago. I still have the chills running against my spine when I think about the things I saw and the stories I heard when I was there. Some of the guides were ex prisoners. Not very fun, but super impressive to visit.
19:38 When you can't be with the one you love, Be with the one next door.
"He CAME, he saw, he conquered" heheh
To be clear, the euphemism was actually "conquered". You make it sound like he "came", then saw her, then dominated her.
@@micahphilson sounds about right
It probably went more like "Vidi, vici, veni".
He saw, he conquered, he came is how it should be....lol
I remember being in daycare and they rolled the tv in to show the the wall coming down. One of the daycare workers was crying and said that she could finally meet her grandmother. I was 5 and i still remember how happy she looked
Ahh, Socialism. The system so great, you just gonna run away from it over a heavily guarded wall.
Damn this was such a badass episode. I got chills hearing the stories. People are capable of incredible things when faced with hardships. Also, sad balls that handsome guy hung himself.
Hmm maybe I should build a wall around my woods to keep the campers out
Nah, just hang some stick figures on the trees.. they'll freak out that there's a witch in those woods..
Bigfoot be popping up in a lot of channels I like.
they didnt build a wall to keep people out..
they built it to keep people in..
BIG difference..
build your wall if it makes you happy..
just dont ask me to pay for it in any way shape or form..
The trick is to sell selfies with you so they end up paying for it.
@@rionthemagnificent2971 You do not get people do you, especially Americans? Do that and you'll risk getting entire tour groups invading ;)
I love this channel! I especially like the videos about events that I experienced first hand and/or was alive when they occurred. I used to listen to my grandparents tell me stories from their lives. They lived (in England) through both world wars, the Cold War, the moon landing, invention of the air plane, travel by horse, car, train, jet plane, from telegraph to cell phones, radio to tv to Internet, snail mail to email, and lived to see the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, my grandparents lived long enough to tell some of their stories to my grandson, 5 generations in all. I miss them very much.
One of my favorite escapes was two families that escaped in a hot air balloon. They did a movie on it, "Night Crossing."
I was there when it fell as part of a TV crew covering the event. Unforgettable.
Congratulations to the author of the video. It made me laugh and tear up and certainly gave me pause to think. Thank you!
Tunnel 57 was about 475 feet and three feet in diameter. I crawled through a four-foot diameter tunnel that was 630 feet about six times a couple years ago. It was brutal. A freight train rider gutter punk girl with tattoos on her face went with us, and she cried miserably when we finally made it out, and those freight train rider gutter punk girls with tattoos on their faces are pretty tough. Of course, it was a two-way trip, and it was also that for diggers of Tunnel 57. Can't even imagine digging a comparable tunnel, having to crawl down there and back so many times to finish it. Props to those students.
This is one of your best. Listening to the stories of people escaping was delightful!
i stood guard duty in coburg west germany on my 19th birthday with the 2/2 acr october 18th 1989. one of the strangest days i have lived through. always have been a car guy and my heart bled for these people that only had the trabant to drive. what a terrible little car. that summed up communusim for me.
Friend of mine came through as a baby, hidden under a painting in the boot of a car.
He is now a top psychiatrist, tending to locked up criminally insane patients....
so hes tending to the ex ddr govt
I was supposed to take my driving test the day the wall opened up. Since my driving school was closed to check point Charly and all the streets were gridlocked I made it just a few feet out of the parking lot before traffic came to a complete stand still. Given the circumstances I was given just an oral exam and got my driver's license, I had to walk almost 10 miles to get on a Subway to get home. The following weeks were the most memorable of my childhood, I grew up 2 miles from the spot where most people died trying to escape, I remember waking up in the middle of the night from gun shots or landmines exploding.
The Bowie reference at the beginning, love it 😊
Caught it too
I was in West Germany when the wall came down. Amazing.
I've watched a lot of Simon and this was one of his best~
I lived in Fulda, Germany from 1979-1982. My dad got orders to San Antonio, Tx in ‘82. I went back to Germany to Heidelberg in June ‘89 for my senior trip, my dad was stationed there. We went to Berlin and it was a world I’d never seen before. Driving through Checkpoint Alpha I saw a kid that was possible younger than I was...I was eating Chips Ahoy cookies and he was just staring at me. I wanted to give him a cookie but knew that was dangerous. Knowing we had a specific time frame to reach Checkpoint Bravo I was a nervous wreck. West Berlin reminded me of New York (what I saw on tv anyway) and it was LOUD, no matter what time of day. Lights and shops and people everywhere. (We stayed downtown) I got too close to the West’s river bank and a boat zoomed up screaming for me to get back while guns were pointed at me. I really don’t believe they thought I was trying to swim to the East’s side...they were just flexing their muscles. We went over Checkpoint Charlie and my dad had to wear his uniform. We would ride the U-ban and S-ban and I was worried once again we would be stuck over there. It was truly a grey existence when you got past the first 2 blocks. My week in Berlin was once in a lifetime and I experienced communism, something I never want to experience again. “I came, I saw and I shopped” - Something I never forgot that was written on the West’s graffiti wall. I have a picture of it.
I thought for sure Simon was going to mention the two families who escaped East Germany in a home-made balloon! Inspiring story!
You forgot the "nobody intends to build a wall"-speech. This one is really famous...
8:12 I'm just here for the Ozzy reference
Lol I'm waiting for a Sex Pistols reference
It was right after the wall fell, 1990. There was still no trust between countries. A man in a remote part of Russia was in an auto wreck and severely injured. He was part of a HAM radio group(glorified CB radio).
The man was dying and his friend contacted someone in the states, asking if they knew any neurosurgeons. That man called my dad.
In 1990, my dad began offering medical advice to save this Russian named Oleg, who had suffered massive head trauma. The Russian doctors couldn’t believe that an American would genuinely try to help. They actually thought, at first, Dad was trying to kill him but the advice Dad have worked the first time and they began to trust him.
Dad then suffered a massive heart condition that required surgery. One day after surgery Dad was back on the radio helping to save Oleg, who needed multiple surgeries.
Seriously, Pops was a hero. Oleg is still alive though my dad and the man at the radio have both passed on.
I thought this video was a great place to share this memory.
Seriously, Simon, it’s such cool story, that it probably qualifies for one of your videos.
Both were heros. Anyone who stands up for what they believe in, or seizes that which they most desire with courage, and dignity deserve not but praise for their actions.
Each man fights his battles how they know best. To berate another for having the courage to do what you do not is a great sin. To stand up, and rebel against you do not believe in with dignity, this is a great thing.
The day this world no longer needs heros is the day we have given up on all desire, and passion, for a world of peace with two or more, is quite impossible.
You won my heart with the "Heroes" and "Crazy train" (obvious) references, Mr. Whistler. This topic always hits hard on my heartstrings, I don't know why. Keep up the great work.
The most interesting thing to me is that there are pieces of it all over the world. To remind us.
even in some public bogs , dunno if thats supposed to be a metaphor
I hope you do more on the Berlin Wall and/or the East/West Germany divide - it's all so incredibly interesting, and moreover, inspiring. Thank you for this video!
Having watched or listened to dozens of these, this episode easily my favorite
I was privileged to serve in the US Army's Berlin Brigade in 1963/4. Several years ago I was able to visit Berlin and exercise an everyday reality for Berliners today. I walked from the former West Berlin through the Brandenburger Gate and into the former East Berlin where I bought a Coke and a Currywurst and found a place to sit and enjoy it. No police were present and the people moving about were not the least bit concerned. We won.
"I got two (three 🙃) tickets to Paradise."
RIP Eddie Money
I've got a regular customer at work who was part of the US garrison in Berlin along the wall. He was a supply sergeant, ran a tight ship, and met his wife there. He comes in every Wednesday evening to get lottery tickets after going to visit his wife in the hospital/nursing home (she goes back and forth, unfortunately, due to her health). I've been dealing with him for almost four years, now, and while his jokes and stories are interesting at first, I have heard all of them...once a week...for almost four years.
You forgot to mention peter strelzyk who escaped in a homemade hot air balloon with his wife and children, with another family in September 16th 1979. Disney made a movie about it, starring John Hurt.
Actually got two funny stories from my dad, when he visited West Germany in the 80s, when serving in the Canadian army.
His platoon were taking pictures by the wall, probably near checkpoint Charlie and they could see East Germany. They were taking pictures of his platoon.
The Americans that were supervising the platoon, gave strict orders to not engage with the East German soldiers.
None of them listen, after finishing taking pictures they turned around and waved at a East German watchtower and pose for a photo. This is the funny part the German guard put a finger up signalling them to wait. Came back with a camera with one of those giant lenses and he took pictures. Those photos probably reached Moscow. The Americans just shook their heads and probably exclaimed "damn Canadians".
The other story, his platoon was on a trip,. His patoon squeeze into two double decker buses On the trip they drank a ton of wine and got very drunk. Here's the funny part, they took a pit stop. So these West Germans saw two double decker buses filled over capacity was drunk Canadians, empty within minutes. A german asked the guide "Americans?" The platoon guide said "no, Canadians".
My father gained at least 10 lbs by the time he left Germany, my parents were going to get married a couple months after the trip. He was able to lose the weight in time for the wedding. Canadians know how to have a good time and we love to annoy our Americans counterparts.
If you travel to Berlin go to the museum at checkpoint charlie, you'll see all the way's
and various instruments used to escape the oppressive GDR...Also, see the Pergamon
museum on the unter den linden...And now, the rivers have boats and promenades,
the the blood rivers where many were shot and killed...
There was even a crazier attempt: a woman wanted to flee DDR to meet her Western fiance, so they agreed to meet in Poland.
There she went with another male friend pretending to be s tourist and waiting for her guy, who was supposed to bring fake passports for all of them.
But he didn't show up. The lady correctly assumed that her fiance had been caught by Stasi, so there was no way back for her and her other friend.
They made a plan so cunning that it actually worked. The guy went to a bazaar in Gdańsk, bought a plastic pistol, the pair bought plane tickets to East Berlin and did what many others had done before: forced the plane to land in Tempelhof in the West.
I was 15 when the wall fell. I remember thinking it was like the Bastille being torn down. People getting together to systematically dismantle a physical symbol of oppression. It's so beautiful
That bowie quote gave me butterflies
When I was like 6 or 7 I was waiting for a cartoon to begin on German TV. I lived close to the German border. Before that there was the Tagesschau who aired a report of some people swimming across the Elbe whilst the STASI were trying to capture them and the West-Berliner police trying to save them. It made a very big impression on me. Still does apperently.
Stasi: "Is freedom worth your life?"
East Germans: "Ja!"
How, in the name of empiricism, can there be people hitting the dislike button for these educational offerings? Good god!
We’ve all heard most of these Berlin Wall stories, but did anyone ever escape across the actual Inner German Border, which was much more heavily fortified than the Berlin Wall?
TheLocalLt
Yes a lot escaped across the Inner German Border, just for example a family built its own hot air balloon.
Also quite a lot of persons escaped through the Baltic Sea.
Yes, my father smuggeld his cousins in his old beetly. To go over the wall was nearly impossible.
I don’t know how Simon does such a flawless job speaking. I dreaded speaking in college for reports every few weeks, this dude does 7 times a day!
11:23 No, they should've wrote 'My other plane is a MiG'
As a german born in 86 i don't have to tell you how much I enjoyed this one...
Amazing!
14:10 that should really be vici, vidi, veni dontcha think?
Sensitively handled. Heros, indeed. Thank you for reminding us.
Me: "What wonderful stories of people who braved an authoritarian government to escape misery!"
Video: "A woman married the Berlin wall."
Me: ".... What the f***?"
ive never heard that one and ive followed the history of the eastern block, made me laugh pretty hard
What an amazing video, great work as always. 👍🏻 I was lucky enough to visit Berlin in 1996 as a teenage foreign exchange student. The city was still healing and there was still a distinct boundary between east and west. At the time there was still a few small sections of wall still standing. The time I spent there and the experiences I had forever changed me as a person, giving me perspective and wider view of the world I never had as a farm kid from rural America. I’ll never forget and will always have a special place in my heart for this great city.
Sorry Simon, I finished the video but couldn't get passed your pronunciation of "Regina".
That's how the Brits say it... Imagine what it's like when they are saying Elizabeth II Regina
I "couldn't get passed" your misuse of "passed". Plus that's how we Brits say it. Americans get so much wrong.
Fun Fact: Members from Rammstein were apparently being monitored by the Stassi as they were musicians in the GDR pubk scene. At the time they were in a popular band called “Feeling B”.
*”MR. GORBACHEV... TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!”*
The story of the Berlin Wall is a story of hope. Never again will a country be divided like that. Freedom is everyone's right.
It would be interesting to see one on Belfast
the throw bricks at your neighbour wall
Excellent piece! The one disappointment was the omission of Pres. Reagan's quote from his 1987 speech at the Berlin Wall: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
I'm going go under the Berlin Wall
I'm gonna go under IM GONNA GO UNDER THE BERLIN WALL
I don't want a holiday in the sun!