Discover Clara Barton: Top 6 Fascinating Facts About the Angel of the Battlefield

1. Gender Equality Pioneer

Clara Barton: breaking glass ceilings and patenting gender equality like a boss! In a time where "ladies" were expected to be stay-at-home wives, Clara proved she could fight fire with fire in her workplace escapades: Ms. Barton not only became one of the first women to snag a significant clerkship at the US Patent Office, but she also rubbed elbows with her male colleagues by earning the same salary they did, all while pioneering women's rights like the feminist trailblazer she truly was.
Source => womenshistory.org

2. Red Cross Queen

If Clara Barton's caring heart was a 70's disco hit, you could call her the "Red Cross Queen": As the founder of the American Red Cross in 1881, Clara's work during the Franco-Prussian War inspired her to bring the Red Cross movement stateside, ultimately leading to the U.S. ratifying the Geneva Conventions – laws protecting the war-wounded and civilians in conflict zones. Dance fever aside, she also assisted over 20,000 soldiers in reconnecting with their families through the Office of Missing Soldiers during the Civil War.
Source => redcross.org

Did you know the real-life "Moses" was a fearless woman named Harriet Tubman? She led 19 daring trips to free around 300 slaves through the Underground Railroad! Discover her astonishing story 🚂💪🔗

=> Fun Facts about Harriet-Tubman

3. Civil War Christmas Birthdays

Clara Barton's birthday wasn't a party like it was 1861: Although she was born on Christmas Day, some of her festive birthdays were spent tending to wounded soldiers during the American Civil War, with a few even turning out to be downright dreary. Nevertheless, she did get to celebrate her 81st birthday in style, winning a contentious vote to remain leader of the American Red Cross in 1902.
Source => blogs.loc.gov

4. Crazy Cat Lady Clara

When Clara Barton wasn’t “kitten” around nursing wounded soldiers in the Civil War, she was busy loving her feline friends: As an avid animal enthusiast, Barton even had a cherished cat named Tommy, with his portrait proudly displayed in her Glen Echo home, and received a kitten as a token of gratitude from Senator Schuyler Colfax for her work during the Battle of Antietam.
Source => clarabartonbirthplace.org

5. Swipe Right for Humanitarian Aid

Before Tinder, Clara Barton had a different kind of match in mind: She founded the American Red Cross and served as its first president, pioneering the organization's expansion into disaster relief efforts, leaving a lasting legacy for humanitarian aid around the globe.
Source => nps.gov

6. The Helping Hurricane

Behold Clara "The Helping Hurricane" Barton: a legendary Civil War nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, who blew away disaster relief efforts in 1893, providing aid to over 30,000 African Americans caught in the eye of a real hurricane.
Source => highpoint.edu