NATO: 75 years of peaceful progress

Remember the last time you left home to go to work, run errands, or visit family or friends?

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Maybe you navigated using GPS, bought gas with a credit card, stopped at an ATM or called to say, “I’m running late. I’ll be there soon!”

Many things we take for granted in our daily lives are possible thanks in part to the enduring peace and stability that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has brought to Europe and North America.

It wasn’t always this way.

NATO: 75 years of peaceful progress NATO: 75 years of peaceful progress
Firefighters spraying water on rubble near St. Paul’s Cathedral in London (© Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Firemen work amid the rubble near St. Paul's Cathedral in London after bombings in May 1941. (© Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Firemen work amid the rubble near St. Paul's Cathedral in London after bombings in May 1941. (© Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Soldiers wading ashore from a landing craft under attack (© U.S. Coast Guard/AP)

Under heavy machine-gun fire, American infantrymen storm the coast of German-occupied Normandy on June 8, 1944, during World War II. (© U.S. Coast Guard/AP)

Under heavy machine-gun fire, American infantrymen storm the coast of German-occupied Normandy on June 8, 1944, during World War II. (© U.S. Coast Guard/AP)

World War II left Europe in ruins, as seen in these images from the film Europe: Two Decades, which chronicles the post-war era. (National Archives)

World War II left Europe in ruins, as seen in these images from the film Europe: Two Decades, which chronicles the post-war era. (National Archives)

President Truman signing a document at a desk with men surrounding him (National Archives)

Seated among representatives of allied nations at the White House, President Harry Truman approves implementation of NATO’s founding document, the North Atlantic Treaty, also called the Washington Treaty. (National Archives)

Seated among representatives of allied nations at the White House, President Harry Truman approves implementation of NATO’s founding document, the North Atlantic Treaty, also called the Washington Treaty. (National Archives)

Truman speaks at the North Atlantic Treaty signing ceremony in Washington, April 4, 1949. (National Archives)

Truman speaks at the North Atlantic Treaty signing ceremony in Washington, April 4, 1949. (National Archives)

Man in World War II uniform sitting with woman and young girl holding small U.S. flags (© Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images)

World War II veteran Bill Beckman attends a Memorial Day ceremony with his wife and great-granddaughter in May 2017 in San Francisco. (© Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images)

World War II veteran Bill Beckman attends a Memorial Day ceremony with his wife and great-granddaughter in May 2017 in San Francisco. (© Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images)

Young girl giving poppy to D-Day veteran in uniform (© Christopher Furlong/Getty Im-ages)

Ron Minton of the United Kingdom, a veteran of the D-Day invasion that liberated France during World War II, is honored in Caen, France, on June 7, 2019. (© Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Ron Minton of the United Kingdom, a veteran of the D-Day invasion that liberated France during World War II, is honored in Caen, France, on June 7, 2019. (© Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Twenty-one years after World War I ended, World War II erupted, continuing a centuries-long pattern of war in Europe. Homes, farms and factories were destroyed, and 36 million Europeans — more than half of them civilians — were killed.

Some 100,000 American soldiers who crossed the ocean to liberate a continent never returned home.

When the war ended in 1945, food shortages and power outages were common across Europe. Children scavenged cities for something to eat.

But on April 4, 1949, much of Europe and North America chose a brighter path. Twelve countries founded the NATO Alliance to build a future of peace and stability.

U.S. President Harry Truman called the new Alliance “a shield against aggression” that “will permit us to get on with the real business of government and society, the business of achieving a fuller and happier life for all our citizens.”

Truman speaks on the promise of NATO after the signing of the Alliance's founding treaty on April 4, 1949. (Harry S. Truman Library)

As NATO marks its 75th anniversary on April 4, 2024, the Alliance celebrates a long period of stability that has allowed a once-tattered Europe to prosper.

Retired U.S. Admiral James Stavridis, a former supreme allied commander for Europe, cites NATO’s “unblemished record of deterring attack against its members” as among the Alliance’s greatest accomplishments.

People talking in building under construction (© Harry Croner/ullstein bild/Getty Images)

The security NATO provided after World War II allowed societies to flourish. Above, the Deutsche Oper Berlin undergoes construction in West Berlin in 1961. (© Harry Croner/ullstein bild/Getty Images)

The security NATO provided after World War II allowed societies to flourish. Above, the Deutsche Oper Berlin undergoes construction in West Berlin in 1961. (© Harry Croner/ullstein bild/Getty Images)

President Kennedy greeting large crowd of people that surround him (© Bettmann/Getty)

On July 2, 1963, Italians welcomed President John F. Kennedy in Naples, where he spoke at NATO headquarters about the economic progress of the Alliance’s members. (© Bettmann/Getty)

On July 2, 1963, Italians welcomed President John F. Kennedy in Naples, where he spoke at NATO headquarters about the economic progress of the Alliance’s members. (© Bettmann/Getty)

Man working at large computer (© KEYSTONE-FRANCE/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images)

NATO member nations advanced technologies in the late 20th century, including the Univac, the first commercial computer, seen in Frankfurt, Germany in 1956. (© KEYSTONE-FRANCE/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images)

NATO member nations advanced technologies in the late 20th century, including the Univac, the first commercial computer, seen in Frankfurt, Germany in 1956. (© KEYSTONE-FRANCE/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images)

Man smiling in front of blackboard with drawing on it (© Jack Garofalo/Paris Match/Getty Images)

French physicist and NATO Science Committee member Louis Néel and other NATO-affiliated scientists won Nobel prizes for research that enriched the world. Néel’s work improved computer memory and led to materials used in telephones, radios, motors and microphones. (© Jack Garofalo/Paris Match/Getty Images)

French physicist and NATO Science Committee member Louis Néel and other NATO-affiliated scientists won Nobel prizes for research that enriched the world. Néel’s work improved computer memory and led to materials used in telephones, radios, motors and microphones. (© Jack Garofalo/Paris Match/Getty Images)

Soon after NATO was founded, member nations began to rebuild their economies. From 1953 to 1963, the gross national product of NATO countries surged by 75%.

“It is increasingly clear that nations united in freedom are better able to build their economies than those that are repressed by tyranny,” President John F. Kennedy said in Naples, Italy, on July 2, 1963.

Kennedy addresses NATO headquarters in Naples, Italy, July 2, 1963. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library/White House Audio Collection)


Buoyed by peacetime economic growth, NATO nations explored cooperation beyond security. In 1956, the foreign ministers of Canada, Italy and Norway encouraged NATO countries to work together to advance science and technology.

Since then, dozens of NATO-funded or affiliated researchers have won Nobel Prizes. Their innovations advanced computers, brought materials used in electronics, and led to technology that helps diagnose and treat cancer.

To cite two examples, Nicolaas Bloembergen, a Dutch-American physicist who had nearly starved during World War II, advanced laser technology that would be used in medical innovations. He participated in the first NATO Science Forum and won a 1981 Nobel Prize.

The United Kingdom's Peter Mansfield, a NATO research grant recipient, made important contributions to the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used in diagnostic medicine. Mansfield won a 2003 Nobel Prize.

NATO countries adapted defense technologies for peaceful, civilian uses — spurring early iterations of the internet and using satellite data to create GPS navigation systems.

Today, the United States is working on a GPS update that will bring the world stronger, more reliable navigation, helping workers from pizza delivery drivers to airline pilots to international shippers.

Woman pulling rack with clothing (© Daniel MihailescuI/AFP/Getty Images)

Romania was among the countries that saw increased foreign investment after being invited to join NATO in the early 2000s. Above, a woman works in the factory of a German clothing manufacturer in Craiova, Romania, in March 2004. (© Daniel MihailescuI/AFP/Getty Images)

Romania was among the countries that saw increased foreign investment after being invited to join NATO in the early 2000s. Above, a woman works in the factory of a German clothing manufacturer in Craiova, Romania, in March 2004. (© Daniel MihailescuI/AFP/Getty Images)

Woman working in an industrial setting (© Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance/Getty Images)

The peace and stability NATO brings often attracts international investment to member countries. North Macedonia, where a woman is seen working at a Dräxlmaier plant in Kavadarci in November 2022, enjoyed a surge in jobs after joining NATO. (© Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance/Getty Images)

The peace and stability NATO brings often attracts international investment to member countries. North Macedonia, where a woman is seen working at a Dräxlmaier plant in Kavadarci in November 2022, enjoyed a surge in jobs after joining NATO. (© Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance/Getty Images)

 Man working in front of multiple computer screens (© Yves Logghe/AP)

NATO works with partners to prevent cyberattacks. Above, an expert works at the NATO Cyber Security Centre, formerly known as the NATO Computer Incident Response Capability Technical Centre, in Mons, Belgium. (© Yves Logghe/AP)

NATO works with partners to prevent cyberattacks. Above, an expert works at the NATO Cyber Security Centre, formerly known as the NATO Computer Incident Response Capability Technical Centre, in Mons, Belgium. (© Yves Logghe/AP)

Woman looking at large boxes (© NATO)

NATO nations' efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic included Estonia’s delivery of medical supplies to Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Ukraine. (© NATO)

NATO nations' efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic included Estonia’s delivery of medical supplies to Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Ukraine. (© NATO)

Woman hugging rescue worker (© Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)

A member of Germany's International Search and Rescue team consoles a woman after earthquakes hit Türkiye in February 2023. (© Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)

A member of Germany's International Search and Rescue team consoles a woman after earthquakes hit Türkiye in February 2023. (© Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)

Picnic-goers watching the sunset over city (© Manu Fernandez/AP)

Picnic-goers relax as the sun sets in the Cerro del Tío Pío Park in Madrid. Thanks to NATO, Europeans are widely accustomed to going about their daily lives in peace. (© Manu Fernandez/AP)

Picnic-goers relax as the sun sets in the Cerro del Tío Pío Park in Madrid. Thanks to NATO, Europeans are widely accustomed to going about their daily lives in peace. (© Manu Fernandez/AP)

Two military personnel preparing to raise flag of Sweden at NATO headquarters (© Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

Sweden's flag is raised at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels on March 11, 2024. (© Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Sweden's flag is raised at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels on March 11, 2024. (© Geert Vanden Wijngaert)