On 15 November 1920, the General Assembly of the League of the Nationsmet in Geneva, Switzerland for the first time. The League was an international body founded as a result of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. Having installed its Secretariat in the Palais Wilson, the League made a mark on the urban landscape of Geneva by constructing the 'Palais des Nations' in which the League was installed in 1936, three years before the outbreak of World War II. On 26 June 1945, delegates from fifty countries met in San Francisco where they adopted the Charter of the United Nations(UN). Three months later the UN was officially launched when the signatory countries ratified the Charter. South Africa was one of the original founding members of the UN in 1945. In April 1946, the League of Nations handed over its properties and assets to the UN, the Palais des Nations being one of its jewels.
15 November 1920
The General Assembly of the League of Nations meets in Geneva for the first time
- Updated
- 13 Nov 2020

How we know this
- 01library.thinkquest.org (2002). ‘Treaty of Versailles’from Oracle Think Quest [online Available at www.thinkquest.org [Accessed 19 October 2011]
- 02unog.ch (2011). ‘History: from the League of Nations to the United Nationsfrom UNOG: United Nations office at Geneva [online] Available at www.unog.ch [Accessed 19 October 2011]
- 03United Nations Publication (2000). ‘The United Nations: An Introduction for Students’from United Nations CyberSchoolBus [online] Available athttps://cyberschoolbus.un.org [Accessed 19 October 2011]
Last updated · 13 Nov 2020
South African History Online. (2011, March 16). The General Assembly of the League of Nations meets in Geneva for the first time. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011426
South African History Online (2011) 'The General Assembly of the League of Nations meets in Geneva for the first time', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011426 (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
South African History Online, The General Assembly of the League of Nations meets in Geneva for the first time [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011426, (accessed 7 October 2026).
"The General Assembly of the League of Nations meets in Geneva for the first time." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011426. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.
South African History Online. "The General Assembly of the League of Nations meets in Geneva for the first time." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011426.
Also on 15 November
- 1926Herman Charles Bosman guilty of murder
- 1931Sculptor Lucas Sithole is born in KwaThema
- 1938South African anti-apartheid activist Ronnie Kasrils is born in the Johannesburg
- 1988Barend Strydom kills 8 People in Pretoria
- 1994RDP White Paper is tabled in Parliament
- 1997Bafana Bafana loses to Germany
- 2000Recognition of the Customary Marriages Act comes into effect
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