There are moments in history that cause us to recall where we were and what we were doing at the time.

For those in the 1960s, the assassination of President Kennedy was such an event.

The events surrounding Sept. 11, 2001, are etched in the memories of Americans and others around the world. The crashing of airplanes into the towers of capitalism in Manhattan and the bastion of war -- the Pentagon -- in Washington remain fresh in the minds of many almost a decade later.

Sandwiched between these two pillars is another event that surprised many at the time more because of when it occurred.

Several years earlier, an American president stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate, a guest of the West German government for a celebration of the 750th anniversary of the founding of Berlin.

On Aug. 13, 1961, Berlin was split into two parts with the construction of a concrete barrier that separated geography, commerce and families. At the time the East German leader claimed the wall was established to withstand the assault of the fascists. The wall stood for 28 years and became a symbol of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and its satellites and Western Europe and America.

Graffiti faced toward the west, and stark, gray concrete faced east. Thousands escaped over the course of 28 years while 700 to 800 attempting to leave the East were killed, according to German records.

The Berlin Wall fell in the evening of Nov. 9, 1989.

Two years earlier President Ronald Reagan, appearing at the Brandenburg Gate, had called on the Communist leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, to demonstrate his commitment to openness by coming to Berlin and eliminating the manmade barriers that separated the city, the nation and the world.

Several of Mr. Reagan's advisers repeatedly tried to remove the reference to the Berlin Wall from his speech. But Mr. Reagan resisted the overtures from his secretary of state, his deputy national security adviser and his chief of staff, and delivered 35 words on June 12, 1987, before a crowd of 45,000.

Would history have been different if those aides to Mr. Reagan had prevailed and his call to "tear down this wall" had been removed?

Probably not because the wheels of change were already churning. More time might have elapsed, but the desire to end an

expensive weapons buildup was real.

When Mr. Reagan spoke on that afternoon 22 years ago, there was no spontaneous action. Picks and shovels did not emerge among the crowd, and a storming of the wall did not occur.

Many foreign policy experts in this country dismissed Mr. Reagan's words as merely rhetoric, noting that the Soviet bear would not be tamed by taunts and American interference.

But a little more than two years after the speech, Berliners stood on the wall, knocking holes in the barrier and beginning a series of events that dismantled the Soviet Union.

Today pieces of the wall that once held people from freedom are found in different American cities and are on display in an array of ways.

At the Newseum in Washington, a watch tower and several pieces of the wall are on display.

The Ripley's Believe It or Not in Gatlinburg is the only Tennessee location with remnants of the wall.

One of the more curious displays apparently is the use of pieces of the wall in a men's room at a Las Vegas casino, according to a report in USA Today.

But the crumbling of the wall, while not as significant as the Kennedy assassination or 9/11, does serve as a point in time for some.

Last week, a local Scout recounted being with other troop members at the wall around the time it came down. He shared his memories of having a pick in hand and chipping off pieces of the concrete that for decades served as a barrier.

For him, this was history and his moment to be part of it.

To reach Tom Griscom, call 423-757-6472 or e-mail tgriscom@timesfreepress.com.