| Saturday, December 20, 2008 |
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Peering Through a Gap In the Berlin Wall |
SpotlightFor the first time since it was erected in 1961, the Berlin Wall was opened on this date in 1963. It remained open for the holiday season, but closed again on January 6, 1964. Some 4,000 people crossed over to visit relatives during this period. The wall had originally been erected by East Germany to prevent its citizens from defecting to the West. Over the course of the Wall's existence nearly 200 people were killed trying to escape to West Germany. In November 1989, the border was finally reopened. Over the next few days, Berliners celebrated by breaking off pieces of the Wall.
Quote"It was the first female-style revolution: no violence and we all went shopping."
Question of the DayBefore the Berlin Wall went up could people cross freely into and out of East and West Berlin?
Before the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, one could move freely throughout Greater Berlin (Gross-Berlin). There were no physical barriers, and people living in the Soviet sector could cross into the Western sectors...
Word of the daysnow job
An effort to deceive, persuade, or overwhelm with insincere talk. For example, Peter tried to give the officer a snow job about an emergency at the hospital but he got a speeding ticket all the same. This slangy expression, originating in the military during World War II, presumably alludes to the idiom snow under.
Schoolkids are commonly taught that the Eskimos of Alaska have dozens of words for snow. As it turns out, English has plenty, too.
Today's History
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A Nickel Commemorating the Louisiana Purchase |
- Louisiana Purchase: the United States officially took possession of the territory from France; this doubled the area of the US (1803)
- South Carolina: became the first state to secede from the Union (1860)
- Operation Just Cause: the US invaded Panama to overthrow and capture military leader Manuel Noriega, who stood accused of corruption and drug trafficking (1989)
Today's Birthdays
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| Jonah Hill |
- Robert Menzies (1894-1978): Australian prime minister
- Dick Wolf (62): creator and producer of Law and Order
- Alan Parsons (59): music producer, The Alan Parsons Project; singer JoJo (18) also celebrates her birthday today
- Jonah Hill (25): actor, Superbad
