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There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad free. Listen with Wondry plus in the Wondery app as a member of Noiser plus at noiser.com or in Apple Podcasts. Or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts@intohristory.com It's June 24, 1859, on a battlefield in Solferino, northern Italy. Henri Dunant kneels in the mud beside a wounded soldier, a 31 year old Swiss businessman. Henri tries his best to tend to the blood soaked man. Propping his head up, Henri raises a canteen of water to the soldier's lips, but as the man sips, he coughs violently and spits out blood. Henri knows he doesn't have long to live, so he lowers the canteen to the ground, gripping the man's hand. Waits for the inevitable. Hundreds more wounded soldiers lie in the mud all around. Only a few hours ago, a joint French and Sardinian army won an important victory over an Austrian enemy here. But that triumph has come at a cost of thousands either killed or horrifically wounded, and Henry's appearance on the battlefield was completely unplanned. He'd been traveling through Italy on a business matter when he stumbled on the carnage. Henry couldn't ignore what he saw, so he quickly set about helping. But for far too many of the young men lying on this battlefield, it was already too late. The soldier in the mud beside Henry shakes for a moment, his breath ragged, and then the light in his eyes goes out. Henri fights the feeling of helplessness that surges through him. This young man is not the first soldier to die in his arms today, and he won't be the last. The horrors that Henri Dunant witnesses on the battlefield will change his life as and eventually the world too. Building on years of social activism, Henry will help establish an organization unlike any before, a neutral body dedicated to helping people suffering in conflict, whatever side they're on. It will be named the Red Cross and it will be founded on October 29, 1863. Hey there, Lindsey Graham here. Before we get to the rest of the show, a quick word about something exciting. I'm planning a live show. Me on stage with a microphone in one hand and a fistful of stories in the other, you hopefully in the audience enjoying History Live. If you want to be the first to hear about tour dates, which cities I'll be visiting, special VIP opportunities, and to get a discount on tickets, head to historydailylive.com that's historydailylive.com I'm excited to hit the road and hopefully get to see you. So go to historydailylive.com we are well into the back half of the calendar and these cooler days call for layers that last and Quince is a go to for quality essentials that feel cozy, look refined and won't blow your budget. Think $50 Mongolian cashmere, premium denim that fits like a dream and luxe outerwear you'll wear year after year. 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Binge all episodes of Flesh and Code early and ad free right now on Wonder from Noiser and Airship. I'm Lindsey Graham and this is History D. History is made Every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is October 29, 1863. The formation of the Red Cross. It's December 1, 1852, in Geneva, Switzerland, seven years before the Battle of Solferino. At the breakfast table of his family home, 24 year old Henri Dunant signs his signature to the bottom of five identical letters. He then places the letters into envelopes. Between mouthfuls of bread, scattering crumbs on the table around him, Henri's mother stares at him over her morning tea. It's a look Henri has seen many times before, one that silently asks her son that business is not to be conducted while food is on the table. So he quickly finishes his letters and then holds up his hands in mock surrender, waiting for his mother to ask what was so important that he couldn't wait. When the question doesn't come Though Henri offers up an answer anyway. He enthusiastically explains to his mother that he has written to the heads of five branches of the Young Men's Christian Association. The YMCA is an organization that helps impoverished young men when they need assistance the most. Having been founded in England in 1844, it now has chapters all over the world. And last night, Henry and his friends officially opened the first Swiss branch right here in Geneva. Born into a devout Calvinist family, Henry was raised by his parents to believe in the power of faith and charity. And they practiced what they preached. Henri's father worked with orphans and ex prisoners. His mother cared for the poor and sick. And to their great pride and satisfaction, Henry has followed in their footsteps. Six years ago, at the age of 18, he formed a group called the Thursday association that met every week to study Scripture and help the poor. There he learned about how other similar organizations around the world had banded together to find solutions to the many problems of modern society. These groups are what have ultimately inspired Henry to open the first Swiss chapter of the ymca. But Henry now has even bigger plans. As soon as he's finished his breakfast, he races away from his parents home with a clutch of letters tucked carefully into his bag. The five envelopes are bound for France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the United States. And each contains a plan to band together every branch of the YMCA under one international umbrella. Henry's thinking is that by teaming up with other chapters all over the world, they can share information and ideas and encourage even more people to follow their example. But writing letters is the easy part. It takes three years for Henry to turn his idea into reality, but he finally achieves his goal with the formation of the World alliance of YMCA in 1855. All during this time, Henry continues his charitable work both at home and abroad. And when he's offered the opportunity to work in Algeria, Henry jumps at the chance. In 1856, he's given a lease of land by French authorities in North Africa, which Henry uses to start his own trading company. Henry makes sure his new business has what he considers to be his workers best interests at heart. He treats his employees with respect and pays them a decent wage and the business thrives. But when it comes time for expansion, the French colonial authorities stand in his way. For reasons that Henry barely understands, they refuse to grant him the extra land he needs and ties up his business venture in red tape. Henry spends weeks traveling to and from Paris, desperately hoping to find some French minister who can overrule the colonial authorities and sign off on his expansion plans, but he has no luck. Then Henri is hit with an idea. He decides to go straight to the top. If a minister won't help him, then perhaps the Emperor will. He writes a flattering biography of the French leader Napoleon iii, hoping that if he can present the text to the Emperor in person, it may persuade him to grant Henri the land he needs. Armed with his optimistic plan, Henri Dunant will set off in search of Napoleon iii. You will discover the French leader is in Italy, attempting to put an end to the second war of Italian independence. But what Henry will find on the battlefield there will change his plans completely and give him an entirely new mission in life History Daily is sponsored by Indeed. My business is a bit peculiar. There are way more ordinary ways to make a living than podcasting, for sure. 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