-
The start of the foundation
Clara Barton and a circle of her acquaintances founded the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881. -
American Red Cross
The Red Cross received our first congressional charter in 1900 and a second in 1905 -
World War I
Prior to the First World War, the Red Cross introduced its first aid, water safety, and public health nursing programs. With the outbreak of war, the organization experienced phenomenal growth. The number of local chapters jumped from 107 in 1914 to 3,864 in 1918 and membership grew from 17,000 to over 20 million adult. -
World War I
The public contributed $400 million in funds and material to support Red Cross programs, including those for American and Allied forces and civilian refugees. The Red Cross staffed hospitals and ambulance companies and recruited 20,000 registered nurses to serve the military. Additional Red Cross nurses came forward to combat the worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918. -
Post War
After the war, the Red Cross focused on service to veterans and enhanced our programs in safety training, accident prevention, home care for the sick, and nutrition education. -
20's and 30's
Provided relief for victims of such major disasters as the Mississippi River floods in 1927 and severe drought and the Depression during the 1930s. -
World War II
The Second World War called upon the Red Cross to provide extensive services once again to the U.S. military, Allies, and civilian war victims. We enrolled more than 104,000 nurses for military service, prepared 27 million packages for American and Allied prisoners of war, and shipped over 300,000 tons of supplies overseas. At the military’s request, the Red Cross also initiated a national blood program that collected 13.3 million pints of blood for use by the armed forces. -
Post World War II
After World War II, the Red Cross introduced the first nationwide civilian blood program that now supplies more than 40 percent of the blood and blood products in this country. -
50's to 90's
During the 1990s, we engineered a massive modernization of our blood services operations to improve the safety of our blood products. We continued to provide services to members of the armed forces and their families, including during the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf wars. -
Today
Today, the supporters, volunteers and employees of the American Red Cross provide compassionate care in five critical areas:
People affected by disasters in America
Support for members of the military and their families
Blood collection, processing and distribution
Health and safety education and training
International relief and development
