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Before WWII, Vietnam had been a colony of the French.  During World War II, the Japanese took control of the area and when the war ended, they had a lot of power.  On the other hand, a revolutionary and communist named Ho Chi Minh wanted freedom for the country of Vietnam.  However, many Allies agreed that Vietnam belonged to the French.  Eventually, Ho Chi Minh and his soldiers began to fight the French.  Ho tried to get help from the U.S., but they didn't want to help him because they were worried about communism and how it might spread throughout Southeast Asia.  When he began to have success against the French, the U.S. was more concerned. In 1950, they began sending aid equipment to the French in Vietnam.  In 1954, the French lost a major battle to the Vietnamese.  So, they decided to get out of Vietnam and the country was divided into communists of Northern Vietnam and Southern Vietnam.  Although, the United States did not want the country to become communists.  During that period of time, President Lyndon Johnson planned to help the Southern Vietnamese be strong enough to fight the North rather than having the U.S. win the war for them.  On the other hand, the Vietnam War was very difficult because it was hard to find the enemy in the jungles of Vietnam and also to determine who the enemy was.  U.S. troops had to deal with booby traps and obstacles throughout the war.  When Richard Nixon became president, he decided that the U.S. would not be involved in the war anymore.  The first thing he did was to remove troops from Vietnam in July of 1969.  In April of 1975, South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam.  Soon the country became officially known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Vietnam was now a communist country.  As a result, the U.S. was defeated in the Vietnam War.  Even though the Soviet Union and the United States never went to war, each of them supported a different side in the Vietnam War.

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Kids learn the history of the Vietnam War during the Cold War. A fight between the communists of North Vietnam and the US supported South.

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The setting of the book takes place in Montgomery, Alabama.  It talks about a colored boy sitting in the back of the bus with his mom, but white people stare at them and the boy's mother got scared.  Eventually, they see Rosa Parks sitting in front of the bus, but she wasn't supposed to.  Suddenly, the bus driver asks her to move and give the white man her seat, but she refused to obey him and was arrested.  After Rosa Park's arrest, the young boy felt worried, but also felt a little strong and had hope as well.  As of today, there is still discrimination towards people of color and many of them don't get treated equally.

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John F. Kennedy grew up in a wealthy and powerful political family in Brooklyn, Massachusetts.  He had three brothers and five sisters.  Joe was the name of his father and he dreamed that one day one of his sons would become president.  Also, he sent them to the best schools and believed that his oldest son, Joe Jr., would be president one day.  John graduated from Harvard University in 1940 with honors and then traveled to Great Britain to be with his father.  During that time, he learned about WWII and realized that the U.S. would likely be involved in the war.  After not being able to join the Army, he joined the Navy and was in charge of a sinking patrol torpedo boat.  Sadly, his older brother Joe died in battle during the war.  When Joe Jr. died, John's father wanted John to become president.  His son was involved in politics and also helped him get elected to the U.S. Congress in 1947.  John served as congressman for six years and then became a U.S. Senator in 1953.  Kennedy ran for president in 1960 against current Vice President Richard Nixon and won the elections.  Kennedy's presidency was remembered by major events in the Cold War.  Some other events include the building of the Berlin Wall in Germany by the communists, the Bay of Pigs, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Just a few months after becoming president, Kennedy decided to help Cuban rebels by removing their leader, Fidel Castro.  Unfortunately, the invasion failed, and the event was called the Bay of Pigs because that was the name of the bay where the invasion took place.  In 1962, the United States discovered that the Soviet Union was building secret missile bases in Cuba.  So, the U.S. locked up Cuba to keep the missiles out.  After negotiations, the Soviet Union agreed to destroy the bases.  On the other hand, the U.S. agreed to never attack Cuba and also remove missiles from Turkey. On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a convertible car in Dallas, Texas.  Even though Kennedy faced many challenges as a president, he never gave up and wanted to help others.

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Biography of President John F. Kennedy for Kids

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John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States. Kids learn about his biography and life story.

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Before 1955, segregation was common in the south, which meant that public areas such as schools, restrooms, water fountains, and restaurants had separate areas for black and white people.  Also, it included public transportation such as buses and trains.  There were areas where black people could sit and other areas where white people could sit.  The Montgomery Bus Boycott started on December 1, 1955, when Rosa Parks was taking the bus home from work in Montgomery, Alabama. She sat down in the row that was closest to the front, which was for black people.  As the bus began to fill up, the driver told the people in Rosa's row to move back so that there was room for a white passenger.  Although, Rosa Parks was tired of being treated like a second-class person and refused to move out of her seat.  Then, she was arrested and fined $10.  After her arrest, many Civil rights leaders and ministers got together to organize a day to boycott the buses, which meant that for one-day black people would not ride the buses.  They gave out pamphlets so people would know what to do and on December 5, 90% of black people in Montgomery did not ride the buses.  As a matter of fact, the boycott was planned at a meeting in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s church and they formed a group called the Montgomery Improvement Association. Black people worked together by carpooling, walking, riding bicycles, and used horse-drawn buggies.  Some white people were not happy with the boycott and the government got involved by fining taxi drivers who did not charge at least 45 cents for a ride.  Martin Luther King had to pay a $500 fine and eventually he got arrested and was in jail for two weeks.  On the other hand, some white citizens became violent and wanted to stop the boycott. For instance, they firebombed Martin Luther King Jr.'s home and several other black churches.  Finally, on December 20, 1956, the boycott ended.  A lawsuit was filed against the racial segregation laws and on June 4, 1956, the laws were unconstitutional.  Later on, the boycott had a new leader for the civil rights movement, which was Martin Luther King Jr.

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Kids learn about the history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott that started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr., African-Americans stopped riding the buses for over a year.

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Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, but died on April 4, 1968.  He was a co-pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, attended segregated public schools in Georgia, and graduated from high school at the age of fifteen.  Later on, he received his bachelor's degree in 1948 from Morehouse College.  Then, after studying at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951.  Also, he went to Boston University in 1955 and received the degree for becoming a doctor.  On the other hand, Martin Luther King married Coretta Scott and she was a young woman that had artistic achievements.  In 1954, Martin Luther King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.  As well as, becoming the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.  On December 21, 1956, Negroes and whites rode the buses together.  Although, many white people didn't like the idea and eventually Martin Luther King was arrested, his home was bombed, and was blamed for personal abuse.  In 1957, he was elected as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  Between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles, spoke over twenty-five hundred times, and appeared wherever there was injustice, protests, and action.  Also, there was a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught a lot of people's attention.  After the protest, Martin Luther King directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., and 250,000 people were in it.  One of the most famous speeches from Martin Luther King was "I Have a Dream".  In 1963, he was named Man of the Year by Time magazine, was awarded five honorary degrees, and became a leader of black Americans.  At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.  The prize money was $54,123, but he used it for the civil rights movement.  On April 4, 1968, King was killed while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee.  Even though many people were devasted to hear about his loss, Martin Luther King wanted peace and equality for people of color.

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Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., but later had his name changed to Martin. His grandfather began the family's long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father has served from then until the present, and from 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor. Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen; he received the B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated. After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951. With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955. In Boston he met and married Coretta Scott, a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments. Two sons and two daughters were born into the family.

In 1954, Martin Luther King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Always a strong worker for civil rights for members of his race, King was, by this time, a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the leading organization of its kind in the nation. He was ready, then, early in December, 1955, to accept the leadership of the first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United States, the bus boycott described by Gunnar Jahn in his presentation speech in honor of the laureate. The boycott lasted 382 days. On December 21, 1956, after the Supreme Court of the United States had declared unconstitutional the laws requiring segregation on buses, Negroes and whites rode the buses as equals. During these days of boycott, King was arrested, his home was bombed, he was subjected to personal abuse, but at the same time he emerged as a Negro leader of the first rank.

In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement. The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity; its operational techniques from Gandhi. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience. and inspiring his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", a manifesto of the Negro revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, "l Have a Dream", he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.

At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.

On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated.
Selected bibliography
Adams, Russell, Great Negroes Past and Present, pp. 106-107. Chicago, Afro-Am Publishing Co., 1963.

Bennett, Lerone, Jr., What Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Chicago, Johnson, 1964.

I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King in Text and Pictures. New York, Time Life Books, 1968.

King, Martin Luther, Jr., The Measure of a Man. Philadelphia. The Christian Education Press, 1959. Two devotional addresses.

King, Martin Luther, Jr., Strength to Love. New York, Harper & Row, 1963. Sixteen sermons and one essay entitled "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence."

King, Martin Luther, Jr., Stride toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. New York, Harper, 1958.

King, Martin Luther, Jr., The Trumpet of Conscience. New York, Harper & Row, 1968.

King, Martin Luther, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? New York, Harper & Row, 1967.

King, Martin Luther, Jr., Why We Can't Wait. New York, Harper & Row, 1963.

"Man of the Year", Time, 83 (January 3, 1964) 13-16; 25-27.

"Martin Luther King, Jr.", in Current Biography Yearbook 1965, ed. by Charles Moritz, pp. 220-223. New York, H.W. Wilson.

Reddick, Lawrence D., Crusader without Violence: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York, Harper, 1959.

This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and first published in the book series Les Prix Nobel. It was later edited and republished inNobel Lectures. To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.

* Note from Nobelprize.org: This biography uses the word "Negro". Even though this word today is considered inappropriate, the biography is published in its original version in view of keeping it as a historical document.

To cite this section
MLA style: Martin Luther King Jr. - Biography. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Sun. 3 Dec 2023. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/biographical/>

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The Nobel Peace Prize 1964 was awarded to Martin Luther King Jr. "for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population"

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Rock and roll was a new form of music that combined elements of rhythm, blues, pop, and hillbilly to create different sounds.  Also, it caught people's attention and many of them bought rock and roll songs or albums at record stores.  One of the most famous rock and roll singers was Elvis Presley.  He was born in 1935 but died in 1977.  There were other rock and roll stars such as Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and Johnny Ray.  When rock and roll became very popular, it helped bring people together.  Black and white people played together in bands, recorded each other's songs, and were played on the same radio stations.  On the other hand, rock and roll were made by a new kind of radio programmer called a disc jockey.  Disc jockeys chose the music that they played and helped introduce new rock bands to thousands of people.  Alan Freed and Wolfman Jack were the most popular disc jockeys and both of them became celebrities as well.  In the 1940s, jazz had been the music of urban hipsters.  It was mostly heard in nightclubs and black neighborhoods.  In addition to jazz, there was a festival called the Newport Jazz Festival and it took place in Newport, Rhode Island.  It became one of the best American jazz festivals and also attracted 26,000 fans in its second year.  Throughout the 1950s, music changed the lives of many people and helped them reunite with one another.

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Music in the 1950s was dominated by the birth of rock and roll. Rock and roll was a powerful new form of music that combined elements of rhythm and blues (R&B), pop, blues, and hillbilly music to create a sound that truly shook America. Musician Ray Charles (1930-) described the music this way: "When they get a couple of guitars together with a backbeat, that's rock and roll." Rock and roll was raw, powerful, and compelling; it drew young people on to dance floors and into record stores in a way that no music had done before.

The undisputed king of rock and roll in the 1950s was Elvis Presley (1935-1977). Presley's hip-shaking stage performances made teenage girls swoon. Other rock stars of the day included Fats Domino (1928-), Chuck Berry (1926-), Little Richard (1932-), Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-), Buddy Holly (1936-1959), and Johnny Ray (1927-1990).

Rock and roll was a social as well as a musical force. In an era when much of American culture was segregated (blacks and whites were distinctly separated), rock and roll was integrated. Blacks and whites played in bands together, recorded each other's songs, and were played on the same radio stations. Rock and roll was made popular by a new kind of radio programmer called a disc jockey. Disc jockeys chose the music that they played and helped introduce new rock bands to thousands of devoted listeners. The most popular of the disc jockeys-like Alan Freed (1922-1965) or, later, Wolfman Jack (1938-1995)- became celebrities themselves.

Jazz was also undergoing a process of transformation. In the 1940s, jazz had been the music of urban hipsters. The jazz of the 1940s was heard in nightclubs, most often in black neighborhoods. In the 1950s, jazz was brought out of the cities and into new respectability in popular jazz festivals. The Newport Jazz Festival (after 1986, called the JVC Jazz Festival), held in Newport, Rhode Island, became the granddaddy of American jazz festivals and attracted twenty-six thousand fans in its second year. Soon, however, the hippest jazz players boycotted the festival. Many of them returned to playing before small audiences who they thought better understood their increasingly difficult and intellectual music.

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1950s: musicmusic in the 1950s was dominated by the birth of rock and roll. rock and roll was a powerful new form of music that combined elements of rhythm and blues (r&b)

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and hillbilly music to create a sound that truly shook america.

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1950s: MusicMusic in the 1950s was dominated by the birth of rock and roll. Rock and roll was a powerful new form of music that combined elements of rhythm and blues (R&B), pop, blues, and hillbilly music to create a sound that truly shook America.

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Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919.  His mother raised him and her four other children.  Also, they were the only black family in their neighborhood.  On the other hand, Jackie went to the University of California and became the first athlete to win varsity in four sports such as baseball, basketball, football, and track.  In 1941, he was named to the All-American football team, but he was forced to leave college and eventually decided to join the U.S. Army due to financial problems.  His army career was for a short period of time because he was in court and argued about incidents of racial discrimination.  Then, in 1945, Jackie played one season in the Negro Baseball League but faced many challenges and achievements in his life.  In 1947, Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers president, was interested in Jackie joining the team.  Although, the Major Leagues didn't have an African-American player since 1889. When Jackie started playing with the Dodgers, he stopped racial discrimination in baseball, the North, and the South.  At the end of his rookie season, he hit 12 homers, had 29 steals, and a .297 average.  In 1949, he was selected as the National Leagues Most Valuable Player of the Year and won the batting title with a .342 average.  As a result, he was put into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.  Later on, Jackie Robinson married Rachel Isum and she was a nursing student at UCLA.  In 1997, people celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson and his success in Major League Baseball.  On Tuesday, April 15, in New York, President Bill Clinton congratulated Robinson at Shea Stadium in a special ceremony. Even though Jackie Robinson faced racial discrimination in his life, he never gave up and worked hard to become a professional baseball player.

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Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers. His mother, Mallie Robinson, single-handedly raised Jackie and her four other children. They were the only black family on their block, and the prejudice they encountered only strengthened their bond. From this humble beginning would grow the first baseball player to break Major League Baseball's color barrier that segregated the sport for more than 50 years.

Growing up in a large, single-parent family, Jackie excelled early at all sports and learned to make his own way in life. At UCLA, Jackie became the first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports: baseball, basketball, football and track. In 1941, he was named to the All-American football team. Due to financial difficulties, he was forced to leave college and eventually decided to enlist in the U.S. Army. After two years in the army, he had progressed to second lieutenant. Jackie's army career was cut short when he was court-martialed in relation to his objections with incidents of racial discrimination. In the end, Jackie left the Army with an honorable discharge.

In 1945, Jackie played one season in the Negro Baseball League, traveling all over the Midwest with the Kansas City Monarchs. But greater challenges and achievements were in store for him. In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey approached Jackie about joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Major Leagues had not had an African-American player since 1889, when baseball became segregated. When Jackie first donned a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, he pioneered the integration of professional athletics in America. By breaking the color barrier in baseball, the nation's preeminent sport, he courageously challenged the deeply rooted custom of racial segregation in both the North and the South.

At the end of Robinson's rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he had become National League Rookie of the Year with 12 homers, a league-leading 29 steals, and a .297 average. In 1949, he was selected as the NL's Most Valuable player of the Year and also won the batting title with a .342 average that same year. As a result of his great success, Jackie was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Jackie married Rachel Isum, a nursing student he met at UCLA, in 1946. As an African-American baseball player, Jackie was on display for the whole country to judge. Rachel and their three children, Jackie Jr., Sharon and David, provided Jackie with the emotional support and sense of purpose essential for bearing the pressure during the early years of baseball.

Jackie Robinson's life and legacy will be remembered as one of the most important in American history. In 1997, the world celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Jackie's breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier. In doing so, we honored the man who stood defiantly against those who would work against racial equality and acknowledged the profound influence of one man's life on the American culture. On the date of Robinson's historic debut, all Major League teams across the nation celebrated this milestone. Also that year, The United States Post Office honored Robinson by making him the subject of a commemorative postage stamp. On Tuesday, April 15th, President Bill Clinton paid tribute to Jackie at Shea Stadium in New York in a special ceremony.

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Biography - The Official Licensing Website of Jackie Robinson

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Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers. His mother, Mallie Robinson, single-handedly raised Jackie and her four other children. They were the only black family on their block, and the prejudice they encountered only strengthened their bond.

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The first type is the amphibious assault ship.  It was part of the modern Navy amphibious assault ships and serves as the foundation of the Amphibious Ready Groups.  These ships use air cushion landing craft, conventional landing craft, and helicopters to move Marine assault forces onto the shore.  Another type is the amphibious transport dock.  The dock can fit more than 700 Marines and have access to their equipment as well.  The purpose of the ship is to be able to use ballast tanks and be ready to recover boats and landing crafts.  About 70% of their operations are humanitarian and disaster relief. As well as, 17 people in the Health Services Department. On the other hand, the boat has been under construction since 2007 and was delivered to the U.S. Navy on December 19, 2011. Next, is the amphibious dock landing ship and it supports marine operations.  An example of the ship is the USS Comstock. The name came from the Comstock Lode in Nevada and it was the biggest silver ship in the United States. Its main goal or mission is to assault hostile shores and help marines. For instance, one important job is being the quartermaster. Their job is to locate where you need to go and when you have to be there.  Although, it's very important to stay quiet so that the conning officer can give his orders during the mission.  Finally, an amphibious command ship is a large ship that's designed to command large amphibious invasions.  Unfortunately, they're now used as general command ships and function as floating headquarters for soldier commands.  In WWII, the amphibious command ship used to be called the Amphibious Force Flagship.  Overall, amphibious ships were an important resource to the United States Navy and protected them in warfare missions.

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Amphibious Ships page for Surface Warfare at USNA.edu. Updated Wed Apr 03 12:06:06 EDT 2019.

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The Berlin Airlift was called the first battle of the Cold War.  Since the Soviet Union blocked routes to deliver food and supplies to the city of Berlin, western countries only had one option, which was to fly in the air.  Over two million people were living in the city at that time.  Also, it would take over 1,500 tons of food each day to keep them alive.  The Soviets didn't believe that an airlift would work and felt that the people of Berlin would give up.  Over the next ten months, the United States and Great Britain flew 277,000 flights into Berlin.  They carried over 2.3 million tons of supplies into the city.  On May 12, 1949, the Soviet Union stopped the barrier and the airlift was over.  Some interesting facts about the Berlin Airlift are that 65% of the supplies were coal.  Coal was difficult to airlift because of all the dust.  For that reason, planes would weigh 100 pounds more after carrying coal for 1,000 hours.  Also, flight crews were not allowed to leave their planes when they landed.  Jeeps, which is a car brand, would drive out to the planes and bring them snacks.  Pilots would drop candy that was attached to little parachutes over Berlin.  This was called "operation little vittles".  Finally, over three tons of candy were dropped by the end of the airlift.  The Berlin Airlift was a big help to the city of Berlin and gave them the resources that they needed.

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Kids learn about the history of the Berlin Airlift during the Cold War. Planes were used to get around the Soviet blockade of Berlin.

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The article "What was the Berlin wall and how did it fall?", talks about how at the end of WWII, Germany was divided into four regions of occupation.  It was in control by the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union.  Berlin was located within the Soviet Union and in between the four countries.  The American, British and French sections would form West Berlin, and eventually, the Soviet section became East Berlin.  By 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union began to appear as opposite sides.  Each of them wanted to use their power in the post-war world.  In 1949, East and West Germany became two independent nations.  In 1952, the East German government closed the border with West Germany, but it remained open and East Germans had the chance to escape to West Berlin.  On June 15, Walter Ulbricht, the East German leader, declared that "no one has the intention of building a wall".  Although, on August 12 and 13, a wire barrier was built around West Berlin.  It established crossing points between West Germany and Soviet sections were closed, which caused neighborhoods and families to separate from each other.  Later on, the Berlin wall would develop into a strong concrete structure that surrounded West Berlin and separated it from the East German territory.  One interesting thing about the Berlin wall is that it measured 155 kilometers long and four meters tall.  These walls were separated by a heavily guarded, passageway of land known as the "death strip".  By 1989, the wall had 302 watchtowers.  More than 100 people died trying to cross the Berlin wall and hundreds more were killed trying to cross other border points.  On November 9, 1989, Günter Schabowski, the East German spokesman, announced that East Germans would immediately be free to travel into West Germany.  Unfortunately, he failed to explain that some rules would remain the same.  Passport checks were eventually abandoned and people crossed the border without any permission.  Many Germans destroyed the Berlin wall and came together in celebration.  Finally, all of Germany reunited on October 3, 1990, and were free from separation.

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What was the Berlin Wall and how did it fall?

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At the end of the Second World War, Germany was divided into four zones of occupation under the control of the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union.