NEW YORK — For weeks, the scene has been re-played on TV screens around the world, as if the events were breaking news: joyous Berliners dancing atop the infamous Wall, toppled 20 years ago on Nov. 9, 1989.
"Die Mauer ist Weg," the people cried out, punching their fists in the air before the cameras at the Brandenburg Gate. "The Wall is gone!"
Without doubt, it is one of the iconic images of the 20th century. For Americans, especially, it was the totemic emblem of victory in the Cold War.