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April 26
5 moments across history
Vermont Becomes First US State to Legalize Civil Unions
On April 26, 2000, Vermont Governor Howard Dean signed a landmark bill into law, making Vermont the first US state to legally recognize same-sex couples through civil unions. The law followed the Vermont Supreme Court’s 1999 Baker v. Vermont ruling and granted same-sex partners state-level rights and responsibilities comparable to marriage while stopping short of marriage licenses. In a national climate still defined by DOMA, the move proved legal recognition was politically viable and became a major stepping stone toward full marriage equality in the United States.
Governor Howard Dean signs the Vermont civil unions bill into law in a historic first for same-sex legal recognition in the United States.
South Africa's First Multiracial Democratic Elections
Voters wait in long lines during South Africa’s first multiracial democratic elections, a defining moment in the end of apartheid.
A companion scene for the first democratic vote of the post-apartheid era.
On April 26, 1994, South Africa opened the polls for its first multiracial democratic elections. Millions of citizens, especially the Black majority long denied political rights under apartheid, stood in extraordinary lines to vote. The election dismantled formal white minority rule, led to Nelson Mandela becoming president, and marked one of the defining democratic transitions of the late twentieth century.
Mass Field Trial of the Salk Polio Vaccine Begins
A school-based vaccine clinic captures the beginning of the massive 1954 field trial of the Salk polio vaccine.
A companion scene for the launch of the nationwide vaccine trial.
On April 26, 1954, the United States began the mass field trial of Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine. Nearly two million children took part in one of the largest public-health experiments in American history. The trial was a pivotal step toward controlling a disease that had terrified families for years and helped usher in a new era of large-scale vaccination campaigns.
Tanganyika and Zanzibar Unite to Form Tanzania
Officials mark the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar in the formation of modern Tanzania.
A companion scene for the historic East African political union.
On April 26, 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar formally united to create the United Republic of Tanzania. The merger followed the Zanzibar Revolution and produced a new East African state with lasting regional significance. It remains one of the most important postcolonial political unions on the African continent.
Johnston Surrenders to Sherman, Ending the Civil War
Union and Confederate commanders meet for the surrender negotiations that helped bring the Civil War to a close.
A companion scene for one of the war’s final major surrenders.
On April 26, 1865, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Union General William T. Sherman in North Carolina. It was one of the final major Confederate surrenders and effectively ended organized resistance in the American Civil War after Appomattox. The event marked a decisive step in closing the bloodiest conflict in United States history.