24 Historical Figures Who Don’t Get Enough Credit for Their Contributions

We’ve all heard of the Red Cross, but have you heard of Clara Barton? Her list of achievements is pretty huge. She’s one of those outstanding people for whom one Wikipedia page probably couldn’t cover it all. Did you know she was a Civil War heroine and the founder of the Red Cross? She was also a patent clerk, a nursing teacher, and an activist for civil rights (before it was popular).

It’s hard to say what her most significant contribution was, but perhaps her most far-reaching contribution was the founding of the American Red Cross. While it was founded several years earlier in Switzerland, bringing it to the U.S.A. helped grow the organization and grant it its important role today.