While passing through the small Italian town of Solferino in 1859, Swiss businessman Henry Dunant came across a grizzly sight. Franco-Sardinian and Austrian forces had just completed a bloody battle leaving 40,000 troops wounded or dead. Overwhelmed by the number of soldiers who were in desperate need of medical attention, Dunant coordinated a group of locals to attend to their needs. Three years later, he published a memoir about what he had witnessed on that day. His book championed the formation of a network of national relief organizations that could aid in future conflicts.
In 1863, Durant and four other individuals from Geneva established the International Committee of the Red Cross. In order to identify their medical workers while on the battlefield, the group created an emblem consisting of a red cross on a white background. Or, as you may have noticed, the inverse of the flag of Switzerland. White flags have long been associated with negotiation and surrender, making it an ideal backdrop for the red cross to sit on. Due to its association with blood, danger and urgency, red makes for a powerful colour choice for the cross itself. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Switzerland established itself as a military neutral country many years prior to the formation of the Red Cross. The overall symbol is simple, graphic and easy to discern from afar. Since 1863 a red cross has come to symbolize many forms of medical aid, from an international humanitarian organization to the first aid kit found on a job site.
Flag of Switzerland
It is important to note that the Swiss flag, as with many other European flags (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Greece and the United Kingdom), all incorporate a Christian cross icon into their designs. The cross harkens back to the days of the Holy Roman Empire and banners used by their campaigns. As a result of this connection to Christianity, the Red Cross developed a family of emblems to accommodate other situations. Among them is a red crescent for Islamic countries and a red crystal for those regions that prefer a non-religious icon. In each of these options, the symbol remains red, referencing back to the long established and universally recognized Red Cross emblem.
