The United States military ends its "don't ask, don't tell" policy, allowing gay men and women to serve openly for the first time.

"Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of homosexual people for a period of over 17 years, starting in the mid-1990s. Instituted during the presidency of Bill Clinton, the policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on December…