Based on statements from the United Nations Association website: http://www.unausa.

org/membership/una-usa-events/un-day/united-nationshistory

* United Nations Founded

President Harry Truman and 50 other representatives from various countries, signed the UN Charter in California.

* Universal Declaration of Human Rights is

signed: the first document considered to have international normative value.

* The Korean War:

With news that the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea) attacked the Republic of Korea (South Korea), the Security Council declared the attack to be a breach of peace and recommended that Member States make forces available to a UN Unified Command under the United States. In all, 16 nations supplied troops. UN agencies such as UNDP assisted South Korea in rebuilding and providing development assistance, allowing it to become one of the largest economies in the world today.

* 17 States Join the UN:

17 newly independent States, 16 from Africa, join the UN

* Cuban Missile Crisis Resolved:

UN Secretary-General U Thant is widely credited for having defused the Cuban Missile Crisis by interceding between U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, thereby avoiding a nuclear war.

* UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund,

Receives Nobel Peace Prize.

* General Assembly Approves Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons

* First UN Environment Conference is held in

Stockholm, Sweden, leading to the establishment of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

* General Assembly adopts the Convention on

the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, covering political, economic, social, cultural and civic values.

* Smallpox Eradicated:
A 13-year effort by the UN's World Health Organization resulted in the complete eradication of smallpox in 1980 saving an estimated $1 billion a year in vaccination and monitoring.

* UN Peacekeeping Receives Nobel Peace Prize

* "Earth Summit"
The UN Conference on Environment and Development, the "Earth Summit", is held in Rio de Janeiro attended by leaders from over 100 countries, the largest intergovernmental gathering in history, resulting in Agenda 21, a plan of action for sustainable development.

* World Conference on Human Rights Held

The World Conference on Human Rights is held in Vienna, which commemorated the International Year for the World's Indigenous People (1993).

* General Assembly Adopts Comprehensive

Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty:
This is a turning point in the history of efforts towards nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. The treaty was opened for signature on 24 September.

* Humanitarian Response to the South Asian

Tsunami Led by UN: The United Nations was credited with coordinating and leading the historic international relief effort in 12 countries undertaken in response to the 2004 South Asian Tsunami.

* UN Admits South Sudan as 193rd Member State

The UN General Assembly admitted the Republic of South Sudan as the 193rd member state, welcoming the newly independent country to the community of nations.