Today in History

May 12, 1820

Florence Nightingale is born

The pioneer of modern nursing was born on this day in 1820. Florence Nightingale was born into privileged English society. Early in her life she felt called into the profession of nursing, scandalizing her family. At the time, nursing was considered a task of the poor and ill-educated. During the Crimean War, she trained nurses to tend to fallen soldiers using techniques of triage, sanitation, and organization that saved many who would have otherwise died on the battlefield. She revolutionized the profession and the care of battlefield wounded. She returned home to England a heroine and a national figure. Her book "Notes on Nursing" became the definitive text on her new methodologies. She died at age 90 and was offered a burial at Westminster Abbey, which her family declined.

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