National Blood Donor Month – January 2019


According to the American Red Cross, winter is “one of the most difficult times of year to collect enough blood products to meet patient needs.” That’s because of, among other things, busy holiday schedules and bad weather often resulting in canceled blood drives. Furthermore, seasonal illnesses such as the flu force potential donors to forgo their blood donations.

That’s just one of the reasons that National Blood Donor Month, which has taken place each January since 1970, is such an important observance. Donating blood saves many lives and improves health for many people. According to the World Health Organization, “blood is the most precious gift that anyone can give to another person — the gift of life. A decision to donate your blood can save a life, or even several if your blood is separated into its components — red cells, platelets and plasma.” Let’s learn more.

National Blood Donor Month - History


Physician opens first blood bank

Hungarian physician Bernard Fantus establishes the first hospital blood bank in the United States at Cook County Hospital in Chicago.


Ottenberg makes the first transfusion

Based on Landsteiner's discoveries, the American physician Reuben Ottenberg performs the first successful blood transfusion using blood typing and crossmatching at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Early 1900s

Are you my type?

The Austrian Dr. Karl Landsteiner develops the ABO blood group system. Jan Jansky, a Czech doctor is credited with the first classification of blood into four types: A, B, AB, and O.


Book gets the blood going

English physician William Harvey publishes "On the Motion of the Heart and Blood," describing his account of the circulation of blood through the human body.

How to Observe National Blood Donor Month

  1. Donate

    Not just in honor of National Blood Donor Month, but in the simple spirit of providing the stuff of life to those who need it most. Donate now. Donate again in eight weeks. Repeat.

  2. Inspire

    National Blood Donor Month can inspire people to donate. And those donations can in turn inspire others to donate, creating an exponential increase in blood donations when and where they're needed the most.

  3. Learn and remember your blood type

    What's your blood type? Some examples: O positive donors are needed more often than other blood types. O negative donors are considered "universal donors." AB positive donors are "universal recipients."

5 Amazing Facts About Blood Donations

  1. Not enough blood for all of us


  2. Fill 'er up with regular — donations


  3. Donate blood and get medical info

    When we donate blood, labs examine the donation for multiple infectious diseases, such as HIV and West Nile virus.

  4. Dogs can donate, too!


  5. The multiplier effect is huge

    Every time we donate one pint of blood, the potential is there to save three lives.

Why National Blood Donor Month is Important

  1. Donating blood save lives

    Someone needs blood every few seconds in the United States. And more than 4.5 million Americans would die every year without lifesaving blood transfusions. National Blood Donor Month helps us remember these vital statistics.

  2. It's the gift that keeps on giving


  3. It's good for donors, too


National Blood Donor Month dates
2019January 1Tuesday
2020January 1Wednesday
2021January 1Friday
2022January 1Saturday
2023January 1Sunday