The American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton (1821–1912) 
on this day in history, May 21, 1881.

Nurse Clarissa Harlowe "Clara" Barton was born on Christmas
Day, 1821, in North Oxford, Massachusetts, the American Red
Cross website notes.

She spent her early career as a teacher before moving to
Washington, D.C. to work in the U.S. Patent Office.

According to the American Red Cross, at the time of the
American Civil War Barton shifted her career once again,
becoming a battlefield nurse.    
 

Clara Barton was inducted into the National Women’s Hall
of Fame in 1973.

Members of the American Red Cross Corps in a photo taken around 1910.

Photo of a dispensary taken around 1914.

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