The Berlin Wall has now been down longer than it was up - The Economist

28 years, two months and 27 days

TO MILLIONS the Berlin Wall—which as of today has been down for longer than it was up—was above all a symbol. It was a by-word for division and the post-war era in Europe. It played stage to an evolving caste of monumental historical figures: JFK, Willy Brandt, Walter Ulbricht, Ronald Reagan, Helmut Kohl.