South Africa becomes first country on continent to legalize same-sex marriage

South Africa becomes first country on continent to legalize same-sex marriage

November 30, 2010 04:00:42 am

Same-sex marriages became legal in South Africa on November 30, 2006 as the country’s Civil Union Act, 2006 went into effect, making South Africa the only country on the African continent to legalize same-sex marriage.

Read the Civil Union Act, 2006.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Titanic sinking precipitated multiple lawsuits

The Titanic sank early in the morning of April 15, 1912 after colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Of 2228 passengers and crewmembers aboard, only 705 survived. The sinking gave rise to a variety of lawsuits against the White Star Line, the Titanic's owners.

Andrew Johnson sworn in after Lincoln assassination

On April 15, 1865, Vice-President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the seventeenth President of the United States, after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Johnson became the first US President to be impeached, but he was not convicted. Learn more about Andrew Johnson and his impeachment from the US Senate.