Today In History: The United Nations Is Founded

Peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.

-- Motto of the United Nations

On October 24th, 1945 the charter for the United Nations went into effect, allowing this significant diplomatic and political organization to officially begin its work. Headquartered in New York City, the United Nations originally comprised 51 member states who sought to maintain international peace and security through friendly and cooperative relations. The United Nations built upon the efforts of the League of Nations founded by President Woodrow following the end of the First World War.

Over the decades the Cold War and decolonization would draw heavily upon its resources. However, by the early 1990s the United Nations would see an expansion of its efforts and initiatives, launching specialized programs and funds, including the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organization (WHO),  United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

At Teachers College, the United Nations has been the subjective of extensive doctoral dissertation research, as well as in research and work by the faculty, including Karl Worth Bigelow and Sloan Wayland. The former professor was an active leader in organizations and programs that worked for educational development in Africa, the latter professor, a specialist in population, community organization and development, and urban sociology. Psychology at the United Nations is a course taught by Dr. Judy Kuriansky -- focusing on "the role of psychologists at the United Nations and on the global stage, as a unique opportunity to explore and contribute to international psychological science, research and practice, and to learn about policies and programs 'on the ground' worldwide relevant to mental health and well-being."

Today the United Nations comprises 193 member nations and it has offices in Geneva, Switzerland; Nairobi, Kenya; Vienna, Austria, and The Hague, Netherlands, where the International Court of Justice is headquartered at the Peace Palace.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• The Nation: F.D.R. Where History Was Made Home for 51 Nations. (1946, Apr 14). New York Times (1923-)
• City Turns Over 7 Acres to U. N. to Complete Its East River Site: Mayor Calls It Most Important Act in City History. (1947, Apr 14). New York Herald Tribune (1926-1962) 
• The World: The U.N. Anniversary.  (1947, Jun 29). New York Times (1923-) 
• Duffield, M. (1950, Oct 29). History in the Making: A Summary of World News: U. N.'s 5th Birthday. New York Herald Tribune (1926-1962) 
• Gross, E.A. (1958, Sep 21). U. N. Record and U. N. Dilemma: The World Forum Has Substantial Achievements to Its Credit, Despite the Difficulty of Containing Both Nationalism and Communism.  New York Times (1923-) 
• Michaelson, G. (1972, Oct 22). U.N. Secretary General Kurt Waldheim: Can He Restore U.S. Confidence in the United Nations? Boston Globe (1960-) 
• Forum for World Figures: Leaders of Six Nations Tell of Their Hopes and Worries. (1985, Oct 23). New York Times (1923-) 
• U.N. Archives: Details 'Word for Word'. (1986, Apr 08). New York Times (1923-) 
• Sciolin, E. (1986, Jun 08). A History of the U.N. in Just 50 Million Pages. New York Times (1923-) 
• The World's Meeting Place. (2000, Sep 06). New York Times (1923-) 

Tips:

• Eggers, Nicole; Almada e Santos, ed. The United Nations and Decolonization. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2020.  e-book.
• Hanhimaki, Jussi M. The United Nations : A Very Short Introduction. 1st ed. Oxford ; Oxford University Press, 2008.  e-book.
• Jolly, Richard, Louis Emmerij, and Thomas George Weiss. UN Ideas That Changed the World. 1st ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009. e-book.
• Müller, Joachim W.  Reforming the United Nations : A Chronology. Leiden ; Brill Nijhoff, 2016.  e-book.
• O’Neill, John Terence, and Nick Rees. United Nations Peacekeeping in the Post-Cold War Era. 1st ed. Oxford: Routledge, 2005. e-book.
• Peterson, M.J. The United Nations General Assembly. Routledge, 2006. e-book.
• United Nations Resources: Background Information , LibGuide, Lehman Library, Columbia University.

Images:

• United Nations (Member States and Territories), Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
• Poster Image: United Nations, Courtesy of Canva.

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