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East Germany's Controlled Dance
- East Germany in the 1950s created a state-sanctioned dance to oppose Western rock and roll influences.
- The dance forbade hip movements and was a fast waltz, but teenagers largely ignored it, causing riots in 1959 cities like Leipzig.
Stasi Poetry Surveillance
- The Stasi had poetry circles as a covert way to look for dissidents among their young officers.
- These poems were analyzed for subtle nonconformity, and shredded documents from these circles are still being pieced together decades later.
BBC in Cold War Bunkers
- BBC studios were built inside regional Cold War nuclear bunkers for politicians and officials.
- The BBC team included presenters, sound engineers, and maintenance staff to keep broadcasts running under attack.