Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy. She grew up in a small family with a sister named Parthenope. Her mother, Frances Nightingale, enjoyed her social standing in society, but Florence was an awkward girl that did not like most situations she was put into. Her father, William Shore Nightingale, was a wealthy landowner. When she was 16 she had a vision from God that told her to pursue being a nurse. When she confronted her parents about her passion they told her she was not allowed to pursue it. She turned down a suitor at the age of 17 and went to the Institution of Deaconesses in Düsseldorf, Germany to further her studies in medicine.

At age 33, Florence was appointed superintendent of a hospital for females in London. When Russia invaded Turkey in 1853, Britain went to Turkey’s aid. Britain asked Florence to lead their medical program in the Crimean War. She took 38 nurses with her to help. When she got there she was appalled by the condition the hospital was in. She said, “The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm.” Once she got the conditions better, she started to teach the soldiers how to read and write. They called her “The Lady With the Lamp,” because she would walk down the halls at night with a lamp to check on the patients.

She later went to the frontline. While there, she became very ill and nearly died from cholera. She was urged to go back to England and recover, but she would not go. She recovered on her own and went right back to work. She had brought worldwide reforms in nursing and how hospitals were run by the end of the Crimean War. In 1856, she returned to her family in England; parties were thrown for her, but she did not accept the invitations. The queen gave her $250,000 for her services, along with the “Nightingale Jewel,” which was a brooch. With her reward money she founded the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St. Thomas Hospital in London. She was also awarded the British Order of Merit. The sickness that she had gotten during the war made it so she could not leave her room often. People came to her for help and the United States consulted her on many things during the American Civil War.

On August 13, 1910 Florence died unexpectedly from an illness. She wanted a small funeral, despite the public wanting to honor her.