▁he ▁was ▁forced ▁to ▁leave ▁Gene va ▁and ▁never ▁returned ▁to ▁his ▁home ▁city . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁following ▁years , ▁national ▁soci eties ▁were ▁founded ▁in ▁nearly ▁every ▁country ▁in ▁Europe . ▁The ▁project ▁reson ated ▁well ▁with ▁patri otic ▁sent iments ▁that ▁were ▁on ▁the ▁rise ▁in ▁the ▁late - n in ete enth - century , ▁and ▁national ▁soci eties ▁were ▁often ▁encourag ed ▁as ▁sign ifiers ▁of ▁national ▁moral ▁superior ity . ▁In ▁ 1 8 7 6 , ▁the ▁committee ▁adopted ▁the ▁name ▁" Intern ational ▁Committee ▁of ▁the ▁Red ▁Cross " ▁( IC RC ), ▁which ▁is ▁still ▁its ▁official ▁design ation ▁today . ▁Five ▁years ▁later , ▁the ▁American ▁Red ▁Cross ▁was ▁founded ▁through ▁the ▁efforts ▁of ▁Clara ▁Bart on . ▁More ▁and ▁more ▁countries ▁signed ▁the ▁Gene va ▁Convention ▁and ▁began ▁to ▁respect ▁it ▁in ▁practice ▁during ▁armed ▁conflicts . ▁In ▁a ▁rather ▁short ▁period ▁of ▁time , ▁the ▁Red ▁Cross ▁gained ▁huge ▁momentum ▁as ▁an ▁intern ation ally ▁respect ed ▁movement , ▁and ▁the ▁national ▁soci eties ▁became ▁increasing ly ▁popular ▁as ▁a ▁ven ue ▁for ▁volunte er ▁work . ▁ ▁When ▁the ▁first ▁Nobel ▁Peace ▁Prize ▁was ▁awarded ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 1 , ▁the ▁Norwegian ▁Nobel ▁Committee ▁opt ed ▁to ▁give ▁it ▁joint ly ▁to ▁Jean - Hen ri ▁Dun ant ▁and ▁Fr éd éric ▁Pass y , ▁a ▁leading ▁international ▁pac if ist . ▁More ▁significant ▁than ▁the ▁honor ▁of ▁the ▁prize ▁itself , ▁this ▁prize ▁marked ▁the ▁over due