On 24 June 1859, at Solferino in northern Italy, French and Piedmontese forces fought the Austrians in a battle with about 40,000 casualties in a day. The Swiss businessman Henry Dunant, who arrived by chance, was shocked by the thousands of wounded left without help and organised local women to care for them, regardless of side. His book A Memory of Solferino (1862) proposed national societies of volunteers and an international agreement to protect the wounded. The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded in Geneva in February 1863, and the first Geneva Convention was signed on 22 August 1864. Dunant won the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.
Before and after
- 8 April 1859Birth of Edmund Husserl
- from 27 April 1859 to 11 July 1859Second Italian War of Independence
- 6 May 1859Death of Alexander von Humboldt
- 22 May 1859Birth of Arthur Conan Doyle
- 24 June 1859The Battle of Solferino inspires the Red Cross
- 4 August 1859Birth of Knut Hamsun
- 27 August 1859Edwin Drake drills the first commercial oil well
- 1 September 1859The Carrington solar storm
- from 16 October 1859 to 18 October 1859John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
More in Society, economy & sport
- c. 1800sRise of nationalism
- 1885Founding of Stanford University
- 1 November 1897Founding of Juventus FC
- 1 January 1901Founding of Australia
- 6 March 1902Founding of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol
- 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.