On this day in 1963 East German guards gun down a man named Peter Fechter trying to escape into West Berlin over the Berlin Wall. The guards leave him there to bleed to death. The Berlin Wall would stand from August 13,1961 until they tore down the wall on November 9, 1989. 136 people were killed trying to get over the wall during those years. The museum at Checkpoint Charlie say the number was a lot higher than that. Peter Fechter’s death was one of the most infamous of the killings. Peter Fechter was 18 years old.
slicethelife 
what a tremendous waste. how sad is it to have to build a wall to keep people in, then even worse killing people trying to get away from that oppression.
imagine being willing to risk your life in trying to escape… have you seen the movie “The LIves of Others?
if i have i dont recall it, but i would think it would be a film that makes an impact so i would say that i have not seen it.
its a film about the east german stasi.. not a documentary… came out in 2006.. i think it won best foreign film… excellent..