December 22, 2019

PICTURE OF THE DAY: The Sharansky Steps


9/18/1959, UNITED NATIONS, NY. As Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev outlined his surprising new disarmament plan before the U.N., calling for all nations to do away with their armed forces, hopeful Americans lined up on the stairs outside the U.N., waiting for some word that might ease world tensions. Above them, the inscription reads, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

Above, a 1959 UPI Telephoto depicting spectators on the Sharansky Steps, with its original caption. This was Khrushchev's first visit to the U.N.; he would make a more memorable appearance the following year, when he famously banged his shoe on a desk.

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