Delegates of fifty nations met in San Francisco from 25 April to 26 June 1945. The United Nations Charter was adopted at the Opera House on 25 June and signed at the Herbst Theatre the next day.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 1945 | The conference opens in San Francisco | United Nations |
| 25 Jun 1945 | The Charter and the Statute of the International Court of Justice are adopted unanimously at the San Francisco Opera House | United Nations |
| 26 Jun 1945 | The Charter is signed in the Herbst Theatre auditorium of the Veterans War Memorial Building; the conference ends | United Nations |
| 15 Oct 1945 | Poland, which sent no representative, signs the Charter and becomes one of the original 51 Members | United Nations |
| 24 Oct 1945 | The Charter enters into force after ratification by the five permanent Security Council members and a majority of the other signatories | United Nations |
Who Came
The United Nations says delegates of fifty nations attended: forty-six were originally invited, and the conference then invited four more (the Byelorussian SSR, the Ukrainian SSR, Denmark and Argentina). There were 850 delegates, and with advisers and secretariat staff the total reached 3,500. More than 2,500 press, radio and newsreel representatives and observers also came.
Adopted at the Opera House, Signed at the Herbst
The Charter and the Statute of the International Court of Justice were adopted unanimously on 25 June 1945 at the San Francisco Opera House. It was signed the next day, 26 June, in the Herbst Theatre auditorium of the Veterans War Memorial Building, and that day the conference closed. The photo above shows a crowd outside the Opera House during the conference.
Poland and Entry Into Force
Poland sent no representative because its new government was announced too late, the United Nations says. It signed the Charter on 15 October 1945 and counts among the original 51 Members. The Charter came into force on 24 October 1945, and that date is now observed as United Nations Day.
Seeing the Buildings
Both buildings are still performance venues in the Civic Center. For what’s on at the War Memorial, check our events calendar. We could not confirm tour or public-access hours for the Herbst Theatre, so ask the venue first.
Still Unconfirmed
- The individual signatories. The United Nations page does not list them, so neither do we.
- Public tours of the venues. Not stated on the sources we read.
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Keep going with the San Francisco history hub: a 58-event timeline, historic sites to visit, history tours (many free) and the National Historic Landmarks. Prefer stories people tell? Try the local legends, fact-checked.
Sources
- United Nations, The San Francisco Conference, read 27 October 2026.
Dates and figures are as the sources state them, read on 27 October 2026.
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When was the UN Charter signed?
On 26 June 1945 in the Herbst Theatre auditorium of the Veterans War Memorial Building in San Francisco.
Where was the Charter adopted?
At the San Francisco Opera House, unanimously, on 25 June 1945.
How many nations attended the conference?
Delegates of fifty nations, per the United Nations; forty-six were first invited and four more were added.
Why did Poland sign later?
Poland sent no representative because its new government was announced too late. It signed on 15 October 1945 and is counted among the original 51 Members.
When did the Charter take effect?
On 24 October 1945, now observed as United Nations Day.
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Cite this page: Project SF, “United Nations Charter: Signed in San Francisco in 1945”, projectsf.com/guides/united-nations-charter-1945-san-francisco/ (updated ).