The first Geneva Convention was adopted

On August 22, 1864, delegates meeting in Geneva’s city hall adopted the “Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field” — the first Geneva Convention. Twelve states present signed it that same day.

The treaty grew from the campaign of Swiss businessman Henry Dunant, who had been horrified by the untended wounded he saw after the Battle of Solferino. It bound armies to care for wounded soldiers regardless of which side they fought for, declared medical staff and hospitals neutral, and introduced a single protective emblem: a red cross on a white background — the Swiss flag with its colors reversed.

It was the first universal and lasting treaty of international humanitarian law.

Though later replaced by the broader Geneva Conventions of 1949, the 1864 pact remains the cornerstone, the moment nations first pledged in writing to limit the cruelty of war.