Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was a British nurse and social reformer. She was born in Florence, Italy, in 1820. She is the founder of modern nursing. She improved hospital conditions and saved countless lives during the Crimean War.

Early Life

Nightingale was born into a wealthy British family. Her parents expected her to marry and not work. But she felt called to be a nurse. She studied nursing in Germany despite her family's objections.

Big Achievements

Nightingale went to care for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. She found the hospitals dirty and overcrowded. She improved sanitation and reduced the death rate dramatically. She used statistics to prove that clean hospitals save lives. She became known as the Lady with the Lamp.

Fun Facts

• She was called the Lady with the Lamp because she checked on patients at night carrying a lamp.
• She was the first woman to receive the Order of Merit from the British king.
• She used charts and graphs to convince the government to improve hospitals.

Did You Know?

Nightingale was a pioneer in using statistics. She created pie charts and diagrams to show that more soldiers died from disease than from battle wounds. Her data convinced the government to reform military hospitals.