The The last engagement of the war of Italian independence took place in 1859 and it was a bloody one.

The Battle of Sopharino led to almost 30,000 men killed and about 10,000 missing were imprisoned.

Though you might hope that the countless wounded might in some way have medical care,

this just wasn't really the case.

The French Army had more veterinarians than actual doctors.

Transportation was non-existent and the bandages had been left behind.

Not sure whose bright idea it was, but the 40,000 wounded

were essentially left to fend for themselves with little food and water.

Things were bleak and the suffering was great.

But out of great tragedy can come great innovations

to ensure that this doesn't happen again,

and the Battle of Sopharino was no exception.

It's how Henry Durand had the idea for the Red Cross. He later won the first ever Nobel Peace Prize for it.

You'd think that was such harrowing inspiration that the Red Cross would be eager to help everyone

and to change the world, but it isn't necessarily the case.

Even though the Red Cross claims to be secular and provide relief for all, religious diversity

is a huge source of inevitable tension among the international organization.

With the founder's roots in Christianity, observers and Muslim states have felt left out of the

founding of humanistic movements, while others argue that the International Committee of the Red Cross and its movements aren't active in the name of any God, but humanity as a whole.

Despite the debates, the organization was eventually brought to the U.S. and has been around so long that they've become synonymous

with disaster relief. It's what they do. And you'd think that with such a lengthy history

involved in helping others through floods, hurricanes, and other tragedies, the Red Cross would be the best of the best

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