On this day
in 1989, East German authorities open the gates of the Berlin Wall, permitting free travel between the east and west sectors of the city for the first time in more than 30 years. Over the next 24 hours, celebrating Berliners will begin to spontaneously dismantle the wall itself.
On this day in 1938, the Nazis launch what would later be called "Kristallnacht" - The Night of Broken Glass. It is a 24-hour campaign of terror against Jewish citizens of Germany and Austria, marked mostly by the windows of Jewish-owned businesses being smashed. About 7,500 businesses and homes are damaged, and about 100 Jews killed. About 30,000 Jewish men are arrested, and many sent to concentration camps. They were released upon promising to leave the country.
On this day in 1965, a 230-volt transmission line near Ontario, Canada is tripped, causing numerous connecting lines to fail. What follows is the largest single power disruption in US history. The Great Northeast Blackout plunges 8 states into darkness, at the height of rush hour in NYC. In that city alone, an estimated 800,000 people are trapped in elevators and subways. Power is restored by morning.
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