From the ashes of the Second World War came the idea of the United Nations—an organization that would serve as a center for international diplomacy. In this lecture given at the Philadelphia History Museum on April 3, 2013,  Charlene Mires, author of Capital of the World, discusses the dramatic, surprising, and at times comic story of the hometown promoters in pursuit of an extraordinary prize and the diplomats who struggled with the balance of power at a pivotal moment in history. Among more than 200 cities and towns seeking to become the Capital of the World, Philadelphia was one of the most energetic competitors and nearly succeeded in luring the world's diplomats to the City of Brotherly Love.