History today

Shortly after midnight on this day
 in 1961,
 East German soldiers begin laying
 down barbed wire and bricks as 
a barrier between Soviet-controlled
 East Berlin and the democratic 
western section of the city.

After World War II, defeated
 Germany was divided into Soviet, 
American, British and French zones 
of occupation. The city of Berlin,
 though technically part of the
 Soviet zone, was also split, 
with the Soviets taking the eastern
 part of the city. After a massive 
Allied airlift in June 1948 foiled
 a Soviet attempt to blockade West 
Berlin, the eastern section was
 drawn even more tightly into the
 Soviet fold. Over the next 12 years,
 cut off from its western counterpart
 and basically reduced to a Soviet
 satellite, East Germany saw between
 2.5 million and 3 million of its 
citizens head to West Germany in 
search of better opportunities. 
By 1961, some 1,000 East Germans
—including many skilled laborers,
 professionals and intellectuals—
were leaving every day.

Today Pakistan was born in 1947.