With the signing of the U.N. Charter in San Francisco in June 1945, the race was on to find a suitable location for the organization’s headquarters.  And hundreds of cities from around the United States—and the world—sought to plead their case.

The end of the Second World War signaled the beginning of the Cold War, and with it the need to defend the industry and population of the Niagara Frontier from a potential onslaught by Soviet bombers. Such an attack never occurred, but we examine the various measures that were taken to shield our region from nuclear obliteration.