Berlin

Hermann Simon's mother lived as a Jew in Berlin during World War II. Through cunning and disguise, Marie Jalowicz Simon managed to evade the Nazis right under their noses.

Berlin is one of Europe's premiere cities, yet it lacks an airport befitting its status due to years of delays and cost overruns. The new airport was supposed to open in 2012. Now the target is 2017.

In parts of the city, racial segregation in schools is often a reality. But small parent-led initiatives — one immigrant-led, one native-led — have been working to change perceptions and enrollment.

In the final years before the Berlin Wall fell, East Germans described their grievances on cassette tapes that were smuggled to West Berlin and then broadcast back to the east on Radio Glasnost.