-
The Battle of Solferino in Northern Italy prompts Henry Dunant to call for an international relief organization to aid the war-injured. -
The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded in Geneva, Switzerland. -
After the war, Clara Barton was authorized by President Lincoln to open the Office of Correspondence with Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army to identify the fate of missing soldiers for grieving parents, family, and friends. In 1867, when Barton closed the office, 63,183 letters had been answered and 22,000 missing men identified. -
Clara Barton and associates established the American Red Cross. -
The Red Cross undertakes its first disaster relief effort, aiding victims of Michigan forest fires. -
The Red Cross responds to the Johnstown, Pa., flood that kills over 2,000. -
Clara Barton and associates arrive in Constantinople to begin a five-month campaign bringing relief to Armenian victims of Turkish oppression. -
Clara Barton's last relief operation is on behalf of victims of the devastating hurricane and tidal wave that hit Galveston, Texas -
Mabel T. Boardman was elected to the Red Cross governing board, beginning a lifelong career of organizational leadership, particularly among volunteers -
The First Geneva Convention was issued, protecting the war wounded and identifying the red cross on a white field as a neutral protective emblem -
Five days after the launch of Operation Desert Shield/Storm, American Red Cross workers arrived in the Persian Gulf region. Over the next year, 158 Red Cross staffers will live and work with the troops. Seven will receive the Bronze Star for meritorious service. -
First National Testing Laboratory, applying standardized tests to ensure the safety of Red Cross blood products, opens in Dedham, MA. This includes testing of donor blood for HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies (anti-HIV-1 and anti-HIV-2).