Today, May 29, is the birthday of John F. Kennedy, who was elected the 35th president in 1960 and served until 1963 when he was shot in Dallas. Had he lived, he would be turning 92 today and would have the legacy of having been a notable president.
When speaking to a crowd in Berlin, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, he said "Ich bin ein Berliner," or "I am a Berliner," by which he meant to say that he was one of them, a citizen of Berlin. The legend is that "berliner" also means jelly donut, and the joke is that his German listeners understood him to say "I am a jelly donut."
Although this joke has certainly had legs, the experts say that it is inaccurate. Residents of Berlin called their donuts by the German word for pancakes. The berliner term for donut was used to some extent in the rest of Germany but was not common. Berliners are residents of Berlin. Apparently it's just a legend, but it is a funny one.
My people thank you for clearing this up.
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