The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded in Geneva in February 1863 by five citizens, including Henry Dunant, a Swiss businessman who had been shocked by the suffering of wounded soldiers after the Battle of Solferino in 1859, and the lawyer Gustave Moynier. Originally called the Committee of Five, it proposed that neutral volunteers should care for the wounded in war, which led to the first Geneva Convention of 1864 and the red cross emblem, the reverse of the Swiss flag. It is a private Swiss organisation with a mandate under international humanitarian law to protect victims of armed conflict, to visit prisoners of war and to restore family links. It has received the Nobel Peace Prize three times, in 1917, 1944 and 1963.
Before and after
- 1 January 1863Birth of Pierre de Coubertin
- 12 January 1863Birth of Swami Vivekananda
- 17 January 1863Birth of David Lloyd George
- from 22 January 1863 to 1 January 1864January Uprising
- 17 February 1863Founding of International Committee of the Red Cross
- 17 February 1863Founding of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
- 12 March 1863Birth of Gabriele D'Annunzio
- from 20 July 1863 to 6 September 1864Shimonoseki Campaign
- 30 July 1863Birth of Henry Ford
More in Society, economy & sport
- from 10 June 1815 to 24 August 1866Founding of German Confederation
- 26 October 1863The Football Association is founded in London
- 17 May 1865Founding of International Telecommunication Union
- 19 September 1893New Zealand becomes the first country where women vote
- 29 November 1899Founding of FC Barcelona
- 30 June 1908Tunguska event
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.