Today in History

August 22, 1864
Setting the Standard
Henri Dunant, founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross, gets a conference of 12 European nations to agree to care for all wounded soldiers during wartime, regardless of the soldiers' nationality. This agreement, signed in Geneva, Switzerland, becomes the first Geneva Convention. Three subsequent Geneva conferences, held in 1899, 1929 and 1949, lay out standards for dealing with soldiers at sea, prisoners of war and civilians. The conventions form the backbone of international humanitarian law and have been signed by 194 nations.



Today's Feature History Article

Man in the Middle

Travels with Kofi Annan




 



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