2005 — Liberia Votes After Civil War

On October 11, 2005, in a Liberia healing from 14 years of civil war, more than a million citizens stood in long, hopeful lines to vote. It was the country's first free election since the guns fell silent, and 22 candidates stood for president. Among them was Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Harvard-trained economist the press called the Iron Lady, who carried the hopes of voters queuing for a new beginning.

Sirleaf went on to win the runoff with nearly 60 percent of the vote, becoming the first woman ever elected to lead an African nation. Six years later she shared the Nobel Peace Prize. One election opened a door for every girl on the continent.