On June 5, 1989, anonymous and alone, one man stepped into the path of a Chinese military tank. As thousands looked on, he held his ground, waving his arms, his body dwarfed by the sheer size of the tank before him. He couldn’t have known it then, but his singular gesture would resonate around the world. It is, perhaps, the most famous moment of the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989. To the Chinese government, it was a slap in the face, a gesture of defiance and insubordination. To those in Tiananmen Square that day, it was a symbol of one man’s power to change the status quo.

Though few will forget the famous image of the unnamed man, the lesser known details–a 7-day hunger strike, the arrival of Mikhail Gorbachev—are of particular interest. Here, some facts you might not know about the infamous Tiananmen Square incidents.

Protesters Created Their Own Media and Met at KFC
As numbers grew, protesters began circulating their own daily newspaper and erected a broadcasting tent. Many conducted meetings and shared ideas in the southwest corner of the Square at the Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Mikhail Gorbachev was Turned Away
Scheduled to arrive in Tiananmen Square to formally settle years of hostility between China and Russia, Gorbachev arrived instead to find his welcoming ceremony canceled due to the protests. The Chinese Government’s “loss of face” over this incident was perhaps cause for its next course of action-calling in the troops.

A “Goddess of Democracy” Was Erected
In a visual representation of their demands, protesters created a “Goddess of Democracy,” a ten-meter-tall foam and paper-mâché replica of the U.S.’ own Statue of Liberty. It was made enormous for a reason: protesters knew that the government would have to either tolerate it, or destroy it and risk further scrutiny.

3,000 Refused to Eat
When student body demands fell on deaf ears (namely those of Premier Li Peng) hundreds of students took drastic measures, declaring an indefinite hunger strike. Their numbers swelled, totaling 3,000 hunger strikers. The strike hit an especially sore spot in a country that strives for censorship: it was a very public, very ubiquitous form of protest.

The Unnamed “Tank Man” Climbed the Tank
The anonymous man who stood before the tank also actually climbed onto the tank, all the way to the top, to communicate with the driver. Various translations have emerged as to what was said, from “Why are you here? My city is in chaos because of you” to “Go back, turn around, and stop killing my people.”

There Was No “One” Cause
Though a similar thread of discontent wove through the demands of all protesters, there was no “one” cause. Initially, in fact, the protest began as a response to the death of Hu Yaobang, who protesters were mourning. But within weeks, it would erupt into something much bigger. The Square–once the site of Mao Zedong’s proclamation of the People’s Republic of China–was transformed for six weeks into a city within a city, one million strong in the weeks leading up to June 4th. There was no official spokesperson. There were a myriad of agendas. Students, teachers, and workers were united by their determination, if not by the same goal. They were there to demand more: more freedom, more democracy, more rights.

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The trend in media today is often to talk about the overbearing nature of the Chinese government, and with good reason. But today is different. Today we have a chance to talk about the determination and will of China’s people. Amid chaos, violence, and resistance, one million people–some with nothing in common but their passion–united to make a difference.