Clara Barton, known as the "Angel of the Battlefield" during the Civil War, is credited with founding the American Red Cross.
However, the dream that produced the International Red Cross originated with Swiss businessman Henry Dunant, who witnessed the bloody aftermath of a war between the French and Austrian armies in 1859.
Nearly 40,000 dead and wounded men were left alone on a battlefield near Solferino, Italy.
Dunant gathered people from the surrounding community to tend to the wounded. Deeply affected by the experience, Dunant returned to Switzerland and formed the beginning of a national relief society to aid those wounded in wartime. In October 1863, the International Red Cross was created in Geneva.
Barton, who became familiar with the International Red Cross while visiting Europe, established the Red Cross Society in America when she organized the American Association of the Red Cross in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881.
The American Red Cross has always been active in wartime and served during the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars. On D-Day, Red Cross workers crossed the English Channel on the heels of the troops to aid U.S. Armed Forces. The American Red Cross also provided relief during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
In the years since its founding, the International Red Cross has also become a political organization that supports anti-war efforts around the world.
To locate the Red Cross office near you, go to redcross.org and enter your current ZIP code.
