Today in History

December 20, 1963

The Berlin Wall Opens For The First Time

On this day in 1963, communist East Germany and the republic of West Germany came to an agreement to allow the wall between the two halves of the country to be opened. The decision was made in the spirit of Christmas, to allow families affected by the construction of the Berlin Wall two and a half years prior to reunite with their relatives on one day passes. West Berliners were overjoyed to see family they had been denied for almost three years, and by December 31 over 500,000 Germans had crossed the wall into East Berlin. The agreement ended on January 5, 1964.

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