When the United Nations Began: October 24, 1945 in Photographs
Published
Period
April–October 1945
Place
San Francisco, California; United Nations
The United Nations came into existence on October 24, 1945, when its founding Charter entered into force. These archival photographs and documents show the months of diplomacy that made it possible.
On October 24, 1945, the United Nations officially came into being. It was not the date delegates signed its Charter: that had happened in San Francisco on June 26. The October date marked a different legal milestone—the Charter entered into force after ratification by the five permanent members of the Security Council and a majority of the other signatories.
The organization grew out of the wreckage of the Second World War. Governments that had spent six years fighting for survival now faced the harder task of preventing another global war. Delegates from 50 countries met in San Francisco during the spring of 1945 to negotiate a document that balanced national sovereignty with collective security, international cooperation, and commitments to human rights. Poland signed later and became the 51st original member.
The United Nations did not abolish war or political rivalry. Its Security Council immediately reflected the power structure left by victory in 1945, with permanent seats and veto rights for five states. Yet the Charter provided a permanent forum where governments could negotiate, coordinate humanitarian work, and establish rules that outlived the people who wrote them.
The photographs in this gallery were taken during the April–June founding conference, not on October 24. The final image reproduces part of the original Charter. Their dates are stated separately because the date of a document, the date of its signing, and the date it became legally effective are not the same.
Primary sources: United Nations, “UN Charter” and “History of the United Nations”; U.S. National Archives, “United Nations Charter (1945).”
Topic: Founding of the United Nations
01 / 04
Delegates negotiating a new world organization
The San Francisco Conference brought together delegations from across the world between April and June 1945. This UN photograph shows members of the diplomatic and military advisory teams working during the conference. The photograph records the process that produced the Charter rather than the October 24 date on which it eventually became effective.
Photo details
Date
During the San Francisco Conference, May 1945 (archive record: 05-07-1945)
UN Photo / Yould; Wikimedia Commons (UN documentary public domain)
02 / 04
President Truman addresses the founding conference
On June 26, 1945, President Harry S. Truman addressed the delegates meeting in San Francisco as the Charter was signed. Secretary of State Edward Stettinius and other officials appear nearby. The United States had emerged from war with an unusual opportunity to help build a new international institution; its President urged delegates to carry the Charter into practical effect.
Photo details
Date
June 26, 1945
Location
San Francisco, California, United States
Photographer / artist
Uncredited U.S. government photographer
Archive / collection
U.S. government archival image / Wikimedia Commons
U.S. government historical photograph / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
03 / 04
Australia signs the Charter in San Francisco
Australian Prime Minister Frank Forde signs the Charter of the United Nations in June 1945. The signatures were a visible public act, but the organization still needed governments to ratify the agreement through their own constitutional processes. Only on October 24 would the treaty enter into force and the UN formally begin.
Photo details
Date
June 26, 1945
Location
San Francisco, California, United States
Photographer / artist
Uncredited Australian government photographer
Archive / collection
Australian government historical photograph / Wikimedia Commons
Australian government / Wikimedia Commons (public domain under Australian Crown Copyright term)
04 / 04
The opening words of the United Nations Charter
The preamble to the original Charter speaks on behalf of the peoples of the United Nations and commits the signatories to preventing another devastating war. This is an archival reproduction of the 1945 founding document—not a photograph from October 24. The Charter was signed on June 26 and became legally binding on October 24 after the required ratifications.
Photo details
Date
Original document dated June 26, 1945; later archival digitization
Location
San Francisco, California; original held by U.S. National Archives
Photographer / artist
Document scan; original by the United Nations and U.S. treaty depositary
Archive / collection
U.S. National Archives (NARA 515901) / Wikimedia Commons
