World Blood Donor Day: How common is your blood type?
Graphic courtesy Victor Chasteen
Do you know your blood type?
Today is the birthday of the man who created the A, B, O blood group system, Karl Landsteiner, who was born June 14, 1868. Take a look at this graph to see how common each blood type is.
Landsteiner’s blood group system is still used today to ensure the safety of blood transfusions. Safe blood supplies are a scarce commodity – especially in developing countries. World Blood Donor Day is an occasion to raise awareness of the problem and thank donors worldwide. It is held annually on June 14.
In addition to discovering more about your blood type, you can celebrate World Blood Donor Day around the world with events like soccer matches, concerts and mobile blood donation clinics. In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) called upon communities world-wide to symbolically “paint the world red” by coloring, covering or lighting monuments and landmarks on this day.
