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Facts about Florence Nightingale
1 – Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820.
2 – Her family were wealthy landowners, but she chose to study law at King’s College London. After graduation, she became convinced that her true calling lay in caring for the sick and injured.
3 – After graduating from Oxford University with honors in mathematics and statistics, she trained at St Thomas’s Hospital.
4 – She was the first woman to be officially employed by the British Army as a nurse.
5 – Florence Nightingale was the founder and pioneer of modern nursing. She is famous for her work in the Crimean War, where she helped to reduce deaths from infection and disease.
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6 – Her work with sanitation during this time led to significant improvements in public health standards.
7 – In 1859, she established a training school at St Thomas’ hospital that became known as “The Lady with the Lamp” because of her habit of making rounds late into the night.
8 – When she died on August 13th 1910, it was said that all London mourned her death.
9 – The BBC’s Radio 4 programme Woman’s Hour broadcasts an annual edition called “Florence Nightingale Day” every year on August 12th.
10 – Florence Nightingale was the first female to graduate from Cambridge University.
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11 – The Red Cross emblem that we know today was designed by Florence Nightingale herself.
12 – Her motto, “to care, to teach, to heal,” reflects her deep commitment to improving health care through education and training.
13 – Her name has been given to a variety of institutions around the world including schools, hospitals, roads and buildings.
14 – Her most famous quotation is “I think there’s nothing so needful to a man or woman as their own tasks.”
15 – In 1860, she founded The Nightingale Fund which operated until 1990.
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16 – She died of Tuberculosis on August 13th 1910 after spending her last years living in obscurity without any money or recognition.
17 – Her legacy lives on today through hospitals that carry her name such as “The Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery” at King’s College London.
18 – Her famous quote “I am a simple woman trying to do good” is engraved on her tombstone.
19 – In 1907 she was named an honorary member of the American Red Cross.
20 – In 1929 she received a Royal Red Cross from Queen Mary of England.
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21 – In 1957 she became the only woman included as an individual figure in England’s National Monument to Great Britain’s Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.
22 – Her name is used as an eponym for a type of surgical procedure called “Nightingale’s Operation.”
23 – In 1907 she became the first woman to be awarded the Order of Merit, which is one of Britain’s highest honors.
24 – Her last words were “This is my message”: “I have done my duty; I am content.”
25 – The term “Nightingale Pledge” refers to a nurse’s pledge to provide care with compassion and dignity.
In 1860, she founded the first school of nursing in London (The Nightingale School).
She is most famous for devising new ways to improve sanitation and care practices that reduced death rates.
In 1860, she published Notes on Nursing which made her an international celebrity.
She had to fight against prejudice and sexism to pursue her career. Her efforts led to improvements in sanitation, hygiene, and medical care for wounded soldiers.
In 1948 she became the first woman to be honored with a statue on Parliament Square in London.
In 1907, she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire by King Edward VII.
For her efforts during the war, Queen Victoria made Florence Nightingale an honorary Member of the Order of Merit and awarded her a British Gold Medal for Distinguished Service which she wore every day until her death in 1910.
