What year was the American Red Cross founded?

The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education in the United States.

ARC was established in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881, by Clara Barton. She became its first president. Barton organized a meeting on May 12 of that year at the home of Senator Omar D. Conger (R, MI). Fifteen people were present at this first meeting, including Barton, Conger and Representative William Lawrence (R, OH) (who became the first vice-president). The first local chapter was established in 1881 at the English Evangelical Lutheran Church of Dansville at Dansville, New York.

Barton led one of the group's first major relief efforts, a response to the September 4–6, 1881 Great Fire of 1881 (Thumb Fire) in the Thumb region of Michigan. Over 5,000 people were left homeless. The next major disaster was the Johnstown Flood, which occurred on May 31, 1889. Over 2,209 people died and thousands more were injured in or near Johnstown, Pennsylvania in one of the worst disasters in United States history.

ARC is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals and assists victims of international disasters and conflicts worldwide. In 2006 the organization had over $6 billion in total revenues. Revenue from blood and blood products alone was over $2 billion.