1989 Part II

Although the Chinese student led protests failed to bring changes to China's Communist regime, it was November 1989 that forever changed the world as we know it. 

I did not think that the reforms ushered in by the Communist bloc countries would lead to the fall of Communism and the symbol of a divided Europe, a divided Germany, and a divided city, the Berlin Wall.  We talked in great detail the changes happening in Europe in Mr. Bill Westfall's Government class.  Then on November 9 or 10, I get a call to go over to Mr. Westfall's house to witness the gatherings at the Berlin Wall.  The East German government has lifted the restrictions on travel to West Berlin and that was it!  Berliners (East and West) gathered at the Wall and began to break it down

 

 Twenty-Five years later I think of how these events in 1989 are never forgotten due in large part because they were televised.  Today, we have YouTube, Twitter, and smartphone apps that gives us the news, and history, in a matter of seconds.  What a difference 25 years has made.  

1989 Part I

It has been awhile since my last post.   I want to continue the goal of commenting on history and sharing these comments with students, friends, and anyone in the blogsphere. I am going to set aside a day of the week to update my blog.

I love the 30 for 30 ESPN Films. This past October, one of the 30 for 30 films featured the 1989 World Series and the 25th anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake.  I remember watching the ABC broadcast of game 3 and suddenly the broadcast halted because of the quake.  Here is what baseball fans and  I saw live on television

 Unfortunately, this occurred during rush hour and over 60 people were killed in the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area.  One image that remains in my mind was the collapse of the Cypress Street Viaduct


After watching the film, I stopped to think about the power of live television.  As a history teacher, I note the importance of live television broadcasting some important historical events that year.  In the summer, June, there was Tiananmen Square Protest and this powerful visual of the "Tank Man" halting a Chinese Army tank brigade