Every year after the first world war, the Red Cross of Czechoslovakia has set up a three-day during Easter "Red Cross truce", to carry forward the Red Cross humanitarian thought, at the same time, combined with national Red Cross business aspects such as health, welfare, child welfare propaganda activities. The initiative has been widely response. In 1921, the 10th international conference of the Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland, the resolution to the national Red Cross recommends the practice of the Red Cross organization of the Red Cross truce of Czechoslovakia. Since then, the 11th and 14th, 15th and the 16th international conference of the Red Cross to sure the armistice day of the Red Cross for many times, makes the armistice day become common practice of the Red Cross.
After the second world war, the 19th the council was held in 1946, the international Red Cross in view of the chapter, the common organization the armistice day activities of the Red Cross, but the date of each are not identical, indicating association secretariat study to determine a fixed day for the international Red Cross. In 1948, the international federation of Red Cross executive committee recommendations to the international federation of Red Cross founder Henry dunant's birthday on May 8, for the global unification of the Red Cross. That same year, 20 times the international federation of Red Cross council was held in Stockholm, Sweden, approved the proposal. Since then, on May 8, officially became the world Red Cross day.
In 1984, due to the red crescent of Muslim countries, world Red Cross day officially changed its name to "world Red Cross and red crescent day".
一戰結束後，捷克斯洛伐克紅十字會首倡每年在復活節期間設立為期3天的“紅十字休戰日”，以弘揚紅十字會的人道思想，同時結合紅十字會業務開展全國性的衛生、救濟、兒童福利等方面的宣傳活動。該倡議得到了廣泛的回響。1921年，第10屆國際紅十字大會在瑞士日內瓦召開，決議向各國紅十字會推薦捷克斯洛伐克紅十字會組織紅十字休戰日的做法。此後，第11屆、第14屆、第15屆、第16屆國際紅十字大會多次對紅十字休戰日進行了肯定，使得紅十字休戰日成為普遍的做法。
二戰結束後，第19次國際紅十字會理事會於1946年舉行，鑒於各國分會雖然普遍組織紅十字休戰日活動，但是日期各不相同的情況，指示協會秘書處研究確定一個固定的日子為國際紅十字日。1948年，國際紅十字會執行委員會建議以國際紅十字會創始人亨利·杜南的生日5月8日為全球統一的紅十字日。同年，第20次國際紅十字會理事會在瑞典斯德哥爾摩舉行，批准了這一建議。從此，5月8日正式成為世界紅十字日。
1984年，由於不斷有穆斯林國家的紅新月會加入，世界紅十字日正式更名為“世界紅十字和紅新月日”。