Twenty-four years ago today, Soviet troops arrived in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. They were sent to put a stop to what we now call the Singing Revolution.

They failed.

On August 20, 1991, the tiny Baltic state of Estonia declared its independence from the U.S.S.R. How did a small country defy the Kremlin without assistance from the West and hasten the fall of the Iron Curtain?

They did it by singing.

Estonia has a long history of communal singing. Most Estonian children know folk songs older than Europe; songs that inspired great composers such as Arvo Pärt and Cyrillus Kreek.

This collective memory is revived every year with Estonia’s tradition of massive choral performances. The Russians originally permitted these song festivals, provided they sing some Soviet propaganda in addition to their hymns and folk songs. Yet starting in 1988, these outdoor concerts morphed into a protest movement featuring nearly 300,000 people – more than a quarter of the entire Estonian population – singing as one giant choir and demanding their independence.

The music – hymns to God, national anthems, songs remembering their history and their love for the land – was powerful. Listen to one student report what it felt like to defy the Soviet army with a song:

They had no weapons but their own voices. “This being together, singing together – this was our power.”

Twenty-four years ago today, a miracle happened: a song helped bring down an empire.

Happy Estonian Restoration of Independence Day! May we all sing a hymn of praise to the God who brings down evil empires.