Today in History: 1987 President Reagan challenges Gorbachev to “Tear down this wall”
On June 12, 1987, in one of his most famous Cold War speeches, President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the repressive Communist era in a divided Germany.
In 1945, following Germany’s defeat in World War II, the nation’s capital, Berlin, was divided into four sections, with the Americans, British and French controlling the western region and the Soviets gaining power in the eastern region. In May 1949, the three western sections came together as the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), with the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) being established in October of that same year. In 1952, the border between the two countries was closed and by the following year East Germans were prosecuted if they left their country without permission. In August 1961, the Berlin Wall was erected by the East German government to prevent its citizens from escaping to the West. Between 1949 and the wall’s inception, it’s estimated that over 2.5 million East Germans fled to the West in search of a less repressive life.
With the wall as a backdrop, President Reagan declared to a West Berlin crowd in 1987, “There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace.” He then called upon his Soviet counterpart: “Secretary General Gorbachev, if you seek peace—if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe—if you seek liberalization: come here, to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Reagan then went on to ask Gorbachev to undertake serious arms reduction talks with the United States.
Most listeners at the time viewed Reagan’s speech as a dramatic appeal to Gorbachev to renew negotiations on nuclear arms reductions. It was also a reminder that despite the Soviet leader’s public statements about a new relationship with the West, the U.S. wanted to see action taken to lessen Cold War tensions. Happily for Berliners, though, the speech also foreshadowed events to come: Two years later, on November 9, 1989, joyful East and West Germans did break down the infamous barrier between East and West Berlin. Germany was officially reunited on October 3, 1990.
Gorbachev, who had been in office since 1985, stepped down from his post as Soviet leader in 1991. Reagan, who served two terms as president, from 1981 to 1989, died on June 5, 2004, at age 93. Gorbachev died on August 30, 2022, at age 91.
Also on this day:
1898 - Philippine independence declared
1920 - Man O’ War sets record at Belmont Stakes
1942 - Anne Frank receives a diary
1944 D-Day landing forces converge
1974 - Under pressure, Little League Baseball allows girls to play
1975 - Indira Gandhi convicted of election fraud
1982 - One million people demonstrate in New York City against nuclear weapons
2011: Scientists publish the discovery of what may be the oldest artwork in the Americas: an engraving of a Ice Age mammoth on a fossil bone likely at least 13,000 years old. The bone, found in Florida, likely came from a mammoth, mastodon or giant sloth.
Births:
??? - @Sean-Spiceworks (side note - after extensive research the official number of birthdays for Sean came back from the Spiceworks team as “10.” (this is from last year). We think Sean may have interfered with the message. Nevertheless, his official age is now 11 (the official 10 + 1)). - I am not 11 years old - Sean
1107 - Emperor Gaozong of Song, 10th emperor of Song dynasty
1771 Patrick Gass, sergeant of Lewis and Clark Expedition
1806 John Roebling, German-American civil engineer (Brooklyn Bridge)
1821 Henry Moses Judah, American Brigadier General (Union Army)
1825 John Cook, American bugler (Union Army)
1835 George Atzerodt, American conspirator who failed to attempt an assassination of Vice President Andrew Johnson on the night Abraham Lincoln was murdered
1915 David Rockefeller, American CEO (Chase Manhattan Bank) and philanthropist
1920 Peter Jones, British actor (Chariots of Fire; From a Bird’s Eye View)
1924 George H. W. Bush 41st US President (R, 1989-93) and 43rd US Vice President (R, 1981-89)
1928 Richard Sherman, American Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer and lyricist, with his brother Robert (Mary Poppins; Chitty Chtitty Bang Bang; “It’s a Small World (After All)”)
1929 Anne Frank Dutch diarist and Jewish victim of the Nazi Holocaust (Diary of Anne Frank)
1951 Brad Delp, American rock singer (Boston - “More Than A Feeling”; RTZ)
1951 Bun E. Carlos [Brad Carlson], American rock drummer (Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me; Dream Police)
1952 Oliver Knussen, British composer (Where the Wild Things Are; Chicara)
1981 Adriana Lima, Supermodel
1985 Blake Ross, American software developer and co-creator of the Mozilla Firefox internet browser
Deaths:
816 Leo III, Italian Pope (795-816), dies
1435 John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel, English military leader who fought in the Hundred Years’ War in France, dies after his foot had to be amputated at 27
1989 Lou Monte [Scaglione], Italian-American novelty song singer-songwriter (Peppino the Italian Mouse; Dominick the Donkey), dies at 72
1992 Renié [Conley], American Academy Award-winning costume designer (Cleopatra; Kitty Foyle), dies at 90
1994 Christopher Collins, American actor (True Identity), voice actor (Cobra Commander-G.I. Joe) and comedian, dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 44
1994 Ron Goldman, waiter, murdered at 27
1998 Leo Buscaglia, American psychologist known as “Dr Love” (Love), dies of a heart attack at 74
2011 Carl Gardner, American pop-rock vocalist (The Coasters - “Yakety Yak”), dies at 83
The Funnies:
Recipe of the day: Empanadas
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 3/4 cups (349 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Pinch of paprika
For the Beef Filling:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound ground beef (85-90% lean)
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced
- ½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
- ½ green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste, to preference
- 1 small russet potato, peeled, finely diced, and boiled*
- 3 scallions, trimmed and chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (or “Mexican blend” cheese), optional
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
For the dough:
-
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the water and butter, heating until butter has fully melted. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and paprika and make a well in the center. Pour a little of the warm butter mixture in and mix with your fingertips to make a wet paste. Pour in remaining liquid, and work the dough with your hands until you get a wet, oily dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
For the filling:
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Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the beef, cooking until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of drippings.
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With the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons of drippings, sauté the yellow onion until translucent, 10-15 minutes. Then add the bell peppers, peas, garlic and seasonings.
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After a few minutes, deglaze the pan with ¼ cup of beef broth, then add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste (to preference).
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Once the tomato paste has dissolved, mix in the beef and potatoes. Remove from heat.
To assemble:
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Tear off golf-ball sized pieces of the chilled dough and roll into balls. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the balls into 1/4-inch thick, 5-inch diameter circles. Once your dough has been rolled out, place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center of each dough circle. Add ½ teaspoon scallions to each circle, and sprinkle lightly with cheese, if using. Brush a small amount of egg wash lightly over one half edge’s border. Fold over the dough to create a half-moon shape and press edges firmly to seal. Crimp edges with the back of a fork.
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Place empanadas onto the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat together the egg and water. Brush the empanadas gently with the egg wash.
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Bake empanadas until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
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Refrigerate leftovers either plastic wrapped or stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze cooked empanadas plastic wrapped in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. To reheat, unwrap as many empanadas as you want and warm through in a 300°F oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes.
Quote of the Day:
- “Noble dragons don’t have friends. The nearest they can get to the idea is an enemy who is still alive.”
― Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Video of the Day:
Comic of the Day:
Mouseover: If you think curiosity without rigor is bad, you should see rigor without curiosity.
Credit: XKCD
Inspirobot Always Controversial, Occasionally Inspirational Quote of the Day:
Read @dailyllama’s Spark! from yesterday here: https://community.spiceworks.com/t/spark-pro-series-11th-june-2025
Don’t forget to leave some spice right here ↓
