The 1963 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross Societies, both based in Switzerland, for their work in the protection of human rights in the ICRC’s 100 years of existence. The Red Cross had its origins in the battle of Solferino, in northern Italy, during the French-Sardinian-Austrian war, when more than 40,000 dying, dead, and wounded were herded into the little village of Castiglione. There was no organized medical aid, no medical supplies and no water. Henri Dunant, who was in Italy to attend a conference with Louis Napoleon, worked day and night among the dead and the dying. pressing into his service every man and woman of the neighborhood. He took as his motto Tutti fratelli: we are all brothers.
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes created by the Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel. Since 1901 it has been awarded annually (with some exceptions) to those who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses” Over the next few months we’ll be introducing you to the past Nobel laureates, leading up to the award of the 2016 prize in October.
