The first edition of the Review was published in October 1869. Since then, the journal has served as an important resource on international humanitarian law, policy and action and its archives can provide insights into the evolution of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the history of humanitarianism more generally. The entirety of the Review's archives are freely available. The Review became available in French in 1869; in English in 1961; in Russian in 1963; in Spanish in 1976; in Arabic in 1997; and in Chinese in 2004.