Night of a Thousand Weddings

On August 26, 1965, LBJ issued a surprise executive order eliminating marriage as grounds for deferment from the Vietnam draft. The announcement set off a panic across the country. The problem was, nearly every state required blood tests or a waiting period — every state, that is, except Nevada. If you could somehow convince someone to marry you, get to Nevada, and get hitched before midnight, you'd be in the clear. Which is exactly what thousands of young people tried to do that day. * Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Dave Roos Produced by Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs Additional Editing by Mary Dooe Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English Very Special thanks to the talented filmmaker Ashton Avila, who shared her invaluable research and contacts from making her short film "I Got You Babe." Go check it out! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.