Life & Style On this day in history, May 21, 1881, Clara Barton, 'brave' battlefield nurse, creates American Red Cross The American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton on this day in history, May 21, 1881. Nurse Clarissa Harlowe “Clara” Barton was born on Christmas Day, 1821, in North Oxford, Massachusetts, the American Red Cross website notes. She spent her early May 21, 2023