1820 Born May 12 in Florence, Italy
1837 February 7, records in diary a call to God’s service
1839 Presented to Queen Victoria
1842 Introduced to Richard Monckton Milnes
1843 Decides to work in hospitals
1844 Declines wedding proposal of Milnes
1845 Seeks training at Salisbury Infirmary; parents object
1847 Visits hospitals in Italy and observes Catholic sisters fulfilling nursing duties
1850 Visits Kaiserwerth Institution in Germany
1851 Returns to Kaiserwerth and joins in active nursing duties
1853 Becomes Superintendent of the Institution for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in Distressed Circumstances
1854 Crimean War begins; appointed Superintendent of the Female Nursing Establishment of the English General Hospitals in Turkey; arrives at Scutari on the Crimean War front
1855 Contracts Crimean Fever and almost dies
1856 Crimean War ends; returns to England; declines wedding proposal of Sir Harry Verney
1859 Publishes Notes on Hospitals and Notes on Nursing
1860 Nightingale Training School is opened
1861 Assists U.S. in organizing soldiers’ hospitals in Civil War
1865 Settles in her Mayfair home in London
1897 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria includes exhibition of Florence Nightingale’s nursing contributions
1907 Awarded the Order of Merit
1910 Dies in sleep August 13
Copyright © 1990 by the author or Christianity Today/Christian History magazine. Click here for reprint information on Christian History.
