FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2026-056

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (April 8, 2026) – This edition of Fun with Maps is in a league of its own.

The League

The League of Nations was established in 1920 to “promote international cooperation and maintain world peace.”  The group held its last meeting eighty years ago, on April 8, 1946.  It was replaced by the United Nations which was organized after World War II.

The League, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, was proposed by Woodrow Wilson, but the United States was never a member.  In fact, Wilson won the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize for serving as the architect of the organization.  Nearly thirty nations participated but the United Kingdom, France, and Italy were the leading countries at the beginning.

Ultimately the League of Nations failed because the powerful nations of the United States, Germany, Japan, and eventually Italy were not involved in the decisions. 

While The League of Nations voted to dissolve itself, it set the groundwork for the United Nations and many lessons in international diplomacy were learned in the work of the organization.

Homan’s map of the Swiss Federation is presented here from 1751.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps. Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.