The Carnation Revolution

Junior officers tired of a colonial war they could not win took the streets of Lisbon before dawn, using two songs on the radio as their signal. The government's last stand was in the barracks at Largo do Carmo, where the prime minister surrendered in the afternoon.

People were told to stay home and came out anyway. A flower seller began handing red carnations to soldiers, who put them in their rifle barrels. Four people were killed by the secret police. Portugal has voted freely ever since, and 25 April is its national day.