What Happened on November 9

Europe Desk

1989 — Berlin Wall Falls as East Germany Opens Border

A confused announcement by an East German official opens the Berlin Wall, ending 28 years of division.

The Berlin Wall, the most brutal symbol of a divided Europe, was thrown open tonight. What began as a confused announcement at an East German press conference ended with cheering crowds streaming through the Bornholmer Straße crossing into West Berlin, and the 28-year-old barrier rendered meaningless.

The man who set it in motion was Günter Schabowski, a senior East German official. At a press conference beginning at 18:00 CET on 9 November, he read a note from party leader Egon Krenz and, when asked when the new travel regulations would take effect, replied "effective immediately, without delay."

His words were broadcast across Germany on ZDF and ARD evening news, at 19:17 and 20:00, reaching nearly every household in the East. Within hours, crowds gathered at the Wall, demanding passage. At 23:30, Stasi Officer Harald Jäger opened the gates at Bornholmer Straße, letting East Berliners walk into the West.

The Wall had stood since 1961, a fortified frontier of two 4-metre-tall walls, a mined death strip, and 302 watchtowers. Tonight, guards stood aside as East Germans climbed atop the concrete and were pulled over by West Berliners.

Millions of East Germans are expected to pour into the West in coming days. Hundreds of thousands are likely to settle there permanently in the months ahead.

The opening came with no plan and no precedent. For 28 years, the Wall had been the immovable fact of Cold War Europe. Tonight it became a memory.

• Günter Schabowski announced the immediate opening of the border at a press conference starting at 18:00 CET on 9 November 1989.
• Schabowski read a note from Egon Krenz and replied 'effective immediately, without delay' when asked when the regulations would take effect.
• At 23:30, Stasi Officer Harald Jäger opened the gates at the Bornholmer Straße border crossing, allowing East Berliners into West Berlin.
• The West German television channels ZDF and ARD broadcast Schabowski's press conference in their evening news at 19:17 and 20:00, reaching nearly all of East Germany.
• The Berlin Wall had stood for 28 years, with two 4-metre-tall walls, a mined death strip, and 302 watchtowers by 1989.

Arts & Letters

1967 — Rolling Stone Debuts With Lennon Cover

A 25-cent tabloid financed with $7,500 in borrowed money hit San Francisco streets on November 9, 1967, with John Lennon on the cover.

In the autumn of 1967, as the Summer of Love gave way to a season of hard news and harder rock, a new publication appeared on the streets of San Francisco, small in size but large in ambition. Rolling Stone, a tabloid-sized paper printed on pulp newsprint, went on sale November 9 with John Lennon on its cover and a cover price of 25 cents.

Its founders, Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason, set out to cover music, politics, and popular culture with the seriousness of a newspaper and the passion of a fan. The first issue leads with a long look at the Monterey International Pop Festival, the June gathering that introduced America to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

Wenner, only 21, financed the venture by borrowing $7,500 from his family and his future wife's parents, a modest sum that proved enough to put the first issue on the stands. Printed on cheap paper, with a layout that owed more to the underground press than to Life or Look, Rolling Stone nonetheless aimed for a wider readership, one that took its music seriously.

• The first issue was released on November 9, 1967, and featured John Lennon on the cover.
• Jann Wenner borrowed $7,500 from his family and his future wife's parents to pay for the magazine's setup costs.
• The first issue was in tabloid-sized pulp newsprint format with a cover price of 25 cents.
• The magazine was founded in San Francisco by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
• The lead article in the first issue covered the Monterey International Pop Festival.

Chess

1985 — Kasparov, 22, Crowned Chess Champion

The challenger wins the 24th game and the match, 13-11, dethroning Anatoly Karpov in Moscow to become the youngest world champion.

Garry Kasparov, the 22-year-old challenger from Baku, today became the youngest world chess champion in history, defeating Anatoly Karpov in the 24th and deciding game of their match at Moscow's Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.

Kasparov's victory in the final game gave him 13 points to Karpov's 11 in the best-of-24 series, which began September 3 and ended today. The final game was a tense affair, with Kasparov pressing for the win he needed to avoid a drawn match that would have left Karpov with the title.

The new champion, who has been hailed as a prodigy since his teenage years, was supported by a team of seconds including Grandmaster Josif Dorfman and Alexander Nikitin, with Gennadi Timoshchenko and Evgeny Vladimirov also assisting.

Kasparov's rise has been meteoric. He first challenged Karpov in 1984, in a marathon match that was controversially abandoned after five months without a decision. This time, he left no doubt.

The match, played under the gaze of Soviet officials, was the first world championship contested between two Soviets in Moscow since the 1930s.

• Kasparov defeated Anatoly Karpov in Moscow from September 3 to November 9, 1985.
• Kasparov became the youngest undisputed world champion at age 22, a record he held until 2024.
• The match was played at Moscow's Tchaikovsky Concert Hall as the best of 24 games.
• Kasparov won the deciding 24th game to finish with 13 points against Karpov's 11.
• Kasparov's seconds were Grandmaster Josif Dorfman and Alexander Nikitin, with Gennadi Timoshchenko and Evgeny Vladimirov also helping.

Metropolitan

1888 — Shocking Murder in Whitechapel

A young woman, Mary Jane Kelly, is found brutally slain in her room, the fifth in a series of killings that has terrorized London.

The body of Mary Jane Kelly, a woman of about 25, was discovered this morning in her single room at 13 Miller's Court, off Dorset Street, in the most shocking murder yet in the series of Whitechapel atrocities. The mutilations, which took approximately two hours to perform, are the most extensive of any of the five victims.

Unlike the previous murders, which occurred in the open streets, this killing took place indoors, in a sparsely furnished room at the back of 26 Dorset Street, rented for 4s 6d a week. The police were called after the landlord, unable to gain entry, looked through a window and saw the ghastly sight.

Kelly, who was working as a prostitute, is widely believed to be the fifth and final victim of the killer known as Jack the Ripper, who has murdered at least five women in Whitechapel and Spitalfields since August. The earlier victims were killed outdoors, but the killer has now moved inside, and the fury of the mutilation has increased.

Joseph Barnett, the man with whom Kelly lived until recently, has informed the police that she was born in Limerick, Ireland, around 1863. The police have made no arrest, and the public's fear grows.

• Mary Jane Kelly was murdered in her single room at 13 Miller's Court, unlike the other canonical victims who were killed outdoors.
• Kelly's body was the most extensively mutilated of the canonical five, with mutilations taking approximately two hours to perform.
• Kelly was approximately 25 years old and working as a prostitute at the time of her death on 9 November 1888.
• The murder of Mary Jane Kelly is widely believed to be the final victim of Jack the Ripper, who killed at least five women in Whitechapel and Spitalfields.
• Kelly's body was discovered in a sparsely furnished room at the back of 26 Dorset Street, with a weekly rent of 4s 6d.

Foreign Desk

1993 — Croatian Forces Destroy Mostar's 16th-Century Bridge

The Stari Most, a 16th-century span over the Neretva River, was destroyed by Croatian Defence Council forces during the Bosnian War.

Croatian Defence Council forces destroyed the Stari Most, a 16th-century bridge crossing the Neretva River in the city of Mostar, on Tuesday. The historic span, a symbol of the city's Ottoman heritage, collapsed into the river after sustained shelling. Witnesses reported the bridge, which had stood for over 400 years, succumbed to direct hits. The destruction is a major blow to Mostar's cultural landmarks, already battered by months of conflict. The bridge was a vital link between the city's Muslim and Croatian quarters. Its loss underscores the deepening ethnic divisions in the region. The Stari Most, often pictured in travel guides, was one of the Balkans' most celebrated architectural treasures.

• Bosnian War: Croatian Defence Council forces destroyed the Stari Most, a 16th-century bridge crossing the river Neretva in the city of Mostar (rebuilt bridge pictured).

Naval Reports

1914 — Sydney Sinks German Raider Emden

The Australian cruiser Sydney destroyed the German raider Emden off the Cocos Islands, the last German warship in the Indian Ocean.

The Australian light cruiser Sydney engaged and sank the German raider Emden off the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The Emden, the last active German warship in the Indian Ocean, was caught and destroyed after a fierce engagement. The battle, a decisive victory for the Allies, removes a significant threat to Allied shipping lanes.

• The Australian light cruiser Sydney sank the German raider Emden off the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
• The Emden was the last active German warship in the Indian Ocean at the time of its sinking.
• The battle occurred on November 9, 1914, during World War I.

Weather Desk

1913 — Great Lakes Blizzard Kills Over 250, Wrecks 19 Ships

A severe blizzard on the Great Lakes destroyed 19 ships and killed more than 250 people, the deadliest natural disaster in the region's history.

The deadliest natural disaster to hit the Great Lakes claimed more than 250 lives as the storm peaked on November 9. Nineteen ships were destroyed and another nineteen stranded, with about $1 million in cargo lost. Cleveland received 22 inches of snow and 79 mph winds, paralyzing the city for days. Forecasters then lacked data to predict the storm's intensity.

• The storm killed more than 250 people, making it the deadliest natural disaster to hit the Great Lakes.
• Nineteen ships were destroyed and another nineteen were stranded during the storm.
• About $1 million worth of cargo—68,300 tons of coal, iron ore, and grain—was lost.
• Cleveland, Ohio, received 22 inches of snow with winds up to 79 mph, paralyzing the city for days.
• The storm was at its most powerful on November 9, battering and overturning ships on four of the five Great Lakes, especially Lake Huron.

South Asia Bureau

2019 — Khan Opens Kartarpur Corridor, Visa-Free Path for Sikh Pilgrims

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free border crossing for Indian Sikh pilgrims.

In a region long divided by conflict, a new passage opened. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor on Saturday, a visa-free border crossing connecting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib to the India–Pakistan border. The corridor provides Indian Sikh pilgrims with visa-free access to the shrine, a site where Guru Nanak spent his final years. The move, hailed as a step toward easing tensions, allows thousands of pilgrims to visit without prior approval. Khan described the corridor as a gesture of peace and religious harmony. The crossing, operational year-round, is expected to boost pilgrimage and people-to-people ties. However, some observers note that broader bilateral disputes remain unresolved. The inauguration, attended by a prominent Sikh leader from India, signaled a rare moment of cooperation.

• The Kartarpur Corridor provided visa-free access for Indian Sikh pilgrims.