A really great two days. I'll never forget it.

Jordan Payton was incredible. Plus it's amazing what people can do when their governments get out of the way. Thanks for posting this uplifting story.

That was an excellent article that really captured the moment. I was in attendance as a 12-year-old with my parents. We lived in Los Altos Hills at the time; however, I now live in Montgomery, Alabama. My recollection of Valery Brumel's world record high jump remains seared into my memory as if it happened yesterday. Your description of the atmosphere leading up to and following it was spot on. It was the height of the Cold War and only a few months before the US and the USSR would face each other down over missiles in Cuba and move the nuclear clock to with a fraction of a second of doomsday. Although 99% of the spectators were US Citizens who had lived the past decade in the shadow of impending doom, there was a palpable sense of anticipation in the air that you could cut with a knife as Brumel readied himself for that jump. Although it certainly was unspoken as the stadium fell silent, there was an unmistakable feeling that 80,000 souls were collectively waiting for him to give us an opportunity to tear down the walls that divided the world. Seconds later, he did his part, and 80,000 spectators responded by doing theirs as they exploded in celebration. That moment was and remains magical.

"Although 99% of the spectators were US Citizens who had lived the past decade in the shadow of impending doom, there was a palpable sense of anticipation in the air that you could cut with a knife as Brumel readied himself for that jump. Although it certainly was unspoken as the stadium fell silent, there was an unmistakable feeling that 80,000 souls were collectively waiting for him to give us an opportunity to tear down the walls that divided the world. Seconds later, he did his part, and 80,000 spectators responded by doing theirs as they exploded in celebration. That moment was and remains magical."

James Opp Smith,

Your summary captured the moment. I wasn't there, but I heard about it on the news. The Soviet system was on a roll, and it was, indeed, evil in many ways, but many of its people were not. That track meet captured the spirit of people meeting people.

Even Ronald Reagan, who won the Cold War, would probably have been among those who would shake Brumel's hand, if he had been there.

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