Konrad Schumann was an East German border guard who made a dramatic escape to West Berlin in 1961. At only 19 years old, he was stationed near Bernauer Strasse just days after the Berlin Wall's construction began. Feeling trapped and unhappy with the East German regime, he saw an opportunity to flee. While on duty, he suddenly dropped his weapon, ran toward the barbed wire fence, and jumped over it into West Berlin. A police car picked him up and took him to safety. A photographer captured the exact moment he leapt, and the image became a powerful symbol of freedom during the Cold War.
