The date was December 21, 1989, and Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu showed up for his usual Christmas time speech on the balcony that you see here at the bottom right. With his wife Elena - who was even more hated than he was by the people - by his side, Nicolae started to give the usual boring speech that was a tradition for him.
But a few minutes later, shots rang out. People began to flee, in spite of Ceausescu's attempts to maintain order. In a weak movement, the dictator offered to raise salaries and scholarships. It didn't help quiet the crowd. The revolution was underway.
The next day, the Ceausescus tried to leave the country by helicopter. But even the military had turned on him at that point. The chopper made a landing in Romanian territory, and the couple eventually was given a trial and taken before a firing squad. According to the stories, Elena received many more bullets than her husband.
When you stand in what is now known as Revolution Square today, you can almost picture what happened on that historic day in Romanian history.
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