How a single businessman's business trip transformed modern warfare
In 1859, Jean-Henri Dunant arrived in Italy for a business meeting, only to find 40,000 soldiers dead or wounded. His horror at the lack of medical care birthed a global movement that now relies on 16 million volunteers to protect human life.
The origins of the International Red Cross and Red Lund Crescent Movement lie in the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino on June 24, 1859. The Swiss businessman Jean-Henri Dunant, originally traveling to discuss business in Algeria, was so moved by the near-total absence of medical assistance for the 40,000 casualties that he abandoned his plans to provide relief. In 1862, he published 'A Memory of Solferino,' a book that advocated for national voluntary relief organizations and an international treaty to protect medics and field hospitals.
The movement's formal structure emerged through the 'Committee of the Five' in 1863, including Dunant, lawyer Gustave Moynier, physician Louis Appia, Théodore Maunoir, and General Guillaume-Henri Dufour. This group organized an international conference in Geneva that led to the adoption of the first Geneva Convention on August 22, 1864. This landmark treaty established legally binding rules for the neutrality and protection of wounded soldiers and medical personnel, introducing the white armlet with a red cross as a distinctive symbol.
The movement has since expanded globally, incorporating the Red Crescent—first used in international combat during the Great Eastern Crisis—and growing to include 45 national societies by 1914. While the movement has faced significant historical challenges, including intense criticism regarding its response to the Holocaust in 1944, it remains a cornerstone of humanitarian law. Its work during World War I was particularly massive; the International Prisoners-of-War Agency processed 20 million messages and helped return 200,000 prisoners to their homes.
The movement's history is also marked by personal drama. Dunant himself faced bankruptcy and expulsion from the committee due to business failures in Algeria and conflicts with Moynier, only to be rehabilitated by winning the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.
Source: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
