Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, establishing fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris. Drafted by a committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, the declaration set out fundamental human rights to be universally protected for the first time. The UDHR has been translated into over 500 languages and has inspired numerous international human rights treaties and national constitutions.
More in Social Movements
Decline of the Indus Valley and the Aryan Migration
The Indus Valley Civilization declined as Indo-Aryan peoples migrated into the subcontinent from Central Asia, bringing the Vedas, Sanskrit, and a new social order that would reshape the land.
July 14, 1789French Revolution Begins
The storming of the Bastille marked the beginning of the French Revolution, fundamentally transforming French society and politics.
August 28, 1833Abolition of Slavery in the British Empire
The Slavery Abolition Act was passed, making the purchase or ownership of slaves illegal throughout the British Empire.
January 1, 1863Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in Confederate states to be free.