The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum was opened in Geneva in 1988. It tells the story of men and women who, in the course of the major events of the last 150 years, have given assistance to victims of war and natural disasters. The organization was established in 1863 and was based on an idea by a Swiss businessman called Henri Durant. He had witnessed the heavy casualties at the battle of Sulferino in Italy 4 years earlier, in which 40, 000 people were killed, wounded or missing. He had seen the lack of medical services and the great suffering of many of the wounded who simply died from lack of care. The International Red Cross or Red Crescent exists to help the victims of conflicts and disasters regardless of their nationalities. The symbol of the organization was originally just the red cross. It has no religious significance. The founders of the movement adopted it as a tribute to Switzerland. However, during the Russo-Turkish War, the Turks felt that the cross could be seen as offensive to Muslim soldiers, and a second symbol, the red crescent, was adopted for use by national organizations in the Islamic world. Both are now official symbols.
