Henry Dunant was born on 8 May 1828 in Geneva. A Swiss businessman and humanitarian, Dunant was moved by the suffering of wounded soldiers that he saw after the Battle of Solferino in 1859, where thousands were left without care. In his book A Memory of Solferino he proposed that voluntary societies should be formed to care for the wounded in wartime and that an international agreement should protect them. His campaign led to the founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863 and to the first Geneva Convention. He went bankrupt and lived in obscurity for many years, but was awarded the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.
Before and after
- 8 February 1828Birth of Jules Verne
- 10 February 1828Treaty of Turkmenchay
- 20 March 1828Birth of Henrik Ibsen
- 16 April 1828Death of Francisco Goya
- 8 May 1828Birth of Henry Dunant
- from 20 May 1828 to 22 September 1829Gran Colombia–Peru War
- from August 1828 to August 1833Morea expedition
- 28 August 1828Birth of Leo Tolstoy
- 19 November 1828Death of Franz Schubert
More in Society, economy & sport
- 12 May 1792Founding of New York Stock Exchange
- c. 1800sRise of nationalism
- 17 February 1863Founding of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
- 23 June 1894Founding of International Olympic Committee
- from 6 April 1896 to 15 April 1896The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens
- 21 May 1904Founding of FIFA
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.