Berlin Blockade West Berlin Allied airlift supplies

West Berlin survived a Soviet blockade through an enormous airlift

1948–1949

In 1948, the Soviet Union blocked land access to West Berlin, leaving its residents dependent on supplies brought in from outside. Western aircraft flew food, coal and other essentials into the city for months. The operation demonstrated that an entire urban population could be sustained by air transport rather than surrendering political control.

The Spanish turned an Inca labor system into forced mine work

1 member per family

After conquering the Inca Empire, Spanish rulers took the existing mita labor system and used it for gold and silver mining. A family could be forced to send one member to work, and if that worker died, often within a year or two, the family usually had to send someone else.

Farm decline helped moose and bears return

In western Massachusetts, moose and black bears returned largely as forests regrew after agriculture declined. Reforestation on former farmland helped restore habitat for these larger mammals.

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Berlin Blockade West Berlin Allied airlift supplies

West Berlin survived a Soviet blockade through an enormous airlift

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