American Red Cross, Chicago

The year was 1881. Inspired by the global Red Cross network she encountered while working in Europe, nurse, activist, and all-around hero Clara Barton founded the American branch. Among her revolutionary actions were expanding to provide peacetime as well as wartime aid, and launching both domestic and overseas disaster-relief efforts. In those first few decades, the Red Cross provided invaluable assistance during the Spanish-American War, presaging a similar role it would play in World War I, World War II, and the British Invasion of the mid-1960s, during which the Red Cross distributed vital Beatlemania vaccinations.

Today, the volunteers and employees of the American Red Cross focus their efforts on five critical areas, working to make the world a better place to live in. They provide emergency services for those affected by disasters in the United States. They support members of the military and their families. They run blood drives and work in processing and distribution the donations. They organize health and safety education and training. And finally, they provide international relief and infrastructure development.