TODAY IN HISTORY: League of Nations is born (Jan. 25, 1919)

On January 25, 1919, the Paris Peace Conference approved the creation of the League of Nations, an ambitious attempt to ensure lasting peace after the devastation of World War I. The League aimed to promote international cooperation and resolve conflicts peacefully. By June of that year, 44 nations had signed the Covenant of the League, marking the official establishment of the organization, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Despite President Woodrow Wilson’s passionate advocacy for the League, the United States Senate ultimately rejected joining, dealing an early blow to the League’s potential influence. The League of Nations, though a groundbreaking first step toward global diplomacy, struggled to prevent the rising conflicts of the 1930s. Its inability to stop the outbreak of World War II signaled its failure, and the League was officially dissolved in 1946, making way for its successor, the United Nations.