author
Henry Dunant
1828–1910
Moved by the suffering he saw after the Battle of Solferino, he helped inspire the creation of the Red Cross and the first Geneva Convention. His ideas changed how the world cares for wounded soldiers, and they earned him the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.
1 Audiobook
The Origin of the Red Cross: "Un souvenir de Solferino"
by Henry Dunant
About the author
Born in Geneva in 1828, Henry Dunant was a Swiss businessman and humanitarian whose life changed after he witnessed the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in 1859. Shocked by the number of wounded soldiers left without care, he organized local civilians to help and later wrote A Memory of Solferino, a book that called for volunteer relief societies and international rules to protect the wounded.
Those ideas led to the founding of the movement that became the International Committee of the Red Cross and helped inspire the Geneva Convention of 1864. Although Dunant later faced financial ruin and spent many years in hardship and relative obscurity, his vision continued to spread around the world.
Recognition finally returned late in life. In 1901, he shared the first Nobel Peace Prize, honoring the lasting impact of his humanitarian work. He died in Heiden, Switzerland, in 1910, but his legacy still lives on wherever neutral medical aid and humanitarian protection are defended.