Who was Henry Dunant? Why is his name significant in the history of the Nobel Prizes?
Henry Dunant was the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Frederic Passy, in 1901. He was a Swiss businessman and social activist, and above all, the founder of the Red Cross.
In 1859, a battle was raging in the town of Solferino in Northern Italy, which resulted in nearly 40,000 casualties. Henry witnessed thousands of Italian, French and Austrian soldiers wounded and dead. On his own initiative, he organized emergency aid services for the wounded. In 1863, he founded the International Committee for the relief of the wounded, now known as the International Committee of the Red Cross. The 1864 Geneva Convention was based on Dunant’s ideas.
Having gone bankrupt, Dunant later ended up in the Swiss village of Heiden, where he fell ill. A journalist wrote an article about him which, within a few days, was reprinted in the press throughout Europe.
In 1901, he received the Nobel Peace Prize. Henry Dunant died on 30th October, 1910. The Red Cross has been awarded the Peace Prize three times till date.
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