17th November 1989 - the day when Czechoslovakia started the process that later went down in history as the Velvet Revolution. Public upsurge against the brutal intervention by the police against students in Prague streets, led to the fall of the totalitarian regime. Non-violent way of transition to democracy in the world today praised.

November 17 before 1989 was primarily known as the International Day studenstva and binds to the year 1939. At that time the German occupation forces after protests by students entered Czech universities and hundreds of players were taken to concentration camps. Igniter resistance to totalitarianism became death of student Jan Opletala.

In 1989, however, 17 November gained new content. Originally a student demonstrations culminated in the brutal intervention units of the regiment SNB school standby on National Avenue. Inadequate procedure for the police to even the rumor of the alleged killing of one of the students, then provoked a lethargy virtually the entire nation. The process that led to the overthrow of one-party rule, went down in history as the Velvet Revolution.

One of the symbols of this tumultuous period became two fingers splayed into the V-shaped gesture signifying victory in connection with the Velvet Revolution, people still remembered not only in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, but also abroad.