This Day in History:
The United Nations Is Born October 24, 1945 An idea formulated in response to
the conflict during World War II,
the U.N. became a reality just months
after the war's conclusion. The U.N. Declaration was drafted by
the U.S., Great Britain and the former
Soviet Union. By 1942, it had been
signed by 26 nations. The U.N. Charter was presided over by
Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill
and Joseph Stalin. The aims of the organization included maintaining
treaties "to reaffirm faith in fundamental human
rights," "to save succeeding generations from
the scourge of war" and "to promote social progress." Peace became the primary focus
of the early U.N. With Cold War
tensions just on the horizon, this
proved to be a complicated endeavor. Today, the United Nations
is comprised of 193 nations.