Thursday, 08 February 2024 16:20

Stories from the UN Archive: Biggest moments in UN history

UN Photo/Milton Grant
In 1990, Nelson Mandela (third from left) met with New York City Mayor David Dinkins (fifth from left) and boxing greats who helped in the struggle against apartheid, including Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Joe Frazier. (file)

South African leader Nelson Mandela speaks out about crushing apartheid. US Secretary of State Colin Powell holds up a vial in the UN Security Council. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg asks “How dare you?”

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell briefs the UN Security Council in February 2003 on evidence of Iraq’s failure to disarm. (file)
UN Photo/Mark Garten
Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell briefs the UN Security Council in February 2003 on evidence of Iraq’s failure to disarm. (file)

This #ThrowbackThursday, we’re featuring UN Video’s visual collage of some of the most memorable moments in UN history through its Stories from the UN Archive series.

Giving viewers a front-row seat, the series captures what it was like to see and hear the iconic moments that shaped our common destiny.

Drawn from a wealth of almost 50,000 hours of historical footage and audio preserved by the UN Audiovisual Library, this series highlights moments throughout the first century of UN operations, from the infamous to the nearly-forgotten, from world leaders to global superstars.

Watch UN Video’s episode on history’s biggest moments here.

History’s Biggest Moments From the UN Archive

Catch up on Stories from the UN Archive in our series here and UN Video’s playlist here, from the birth of the UN and the first ever case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to icon Steve Wonder challenging assumptions about braille and Shakira speaking out for children. History buffs can also peruse UN Radio Classics here and our Podcast Classics series here.

Stay tuned next Thursday for another dive into the past.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg addresses the Climate Action Summit in 2019 at UN Headquarters in New York. (file)
UN Photo/Cia Pak
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg addresses the Climate Action Summit in 2019 at UN Headquarters in New York. (file)