Akum Norder

As World War II came to an end eight decades ago, war-weary nations sought a new path to peace. Leaders understood that with the introduction of the atomic bomb, the next war could bring devastation so terrible that no nation could withstand it.

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This story was originally published in November 2014. June 5 is Henry Johnson Day in Albany. Nominations for the city's annual Henry Johnson Award are open for 2024. This year, an individual will receive the award on Sept. 14 at the Riverfront Jazz Festival. The popular story of Henry Johnson, Albany’s World War I hero, goes something like this: Johnson was a railroad porter who enlisted in the black regiment that came to be known as the Harlem Hellfighters.