Red Cross - the symbol of the International Committee of the Red Cross based in Geneva in 1863. It is a red cross on a white background - the color of the Swiss flag in reverse order. Brainchild of Swiss banker Henry Dunata (1828 - 1910) Organization of the Red Cross was called upon to provide medical assistance and the neutral status of doctors in the warring armies of the Christian world. Since then the Red Cross has greatly expanded its field of activity. In Muslim countries, was approved to establish a similar organization, but under the name "Red Crescent". In the USSR, the emblem was a cross and a crescent next to each other. National Red Cross and Red Crescent, there are currently 149 countries around the world, with membership of 250 million people.