Born on May 12
International Nurses Day
Thank the nurse who looked after you.
Next: May 12, 2027
Where it comes from
International Nurses Day falls on 12 May, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, born in 1820 and remembered as the founder of modern nursing. During the Crimean War she took a party of 38 nurses to the military hospitals at Scutari, and her night rounds earned her the name 'Lady with the Lamp'.
How it's celebrated
Each year the International Council of Nurses publishes a report and a set of resources that nurses' associations around the world use to mark the day. In the United States, National Nurses Week runs from 6 to 12 May and ends on Nightingale's birthday.
Did you know
Nightingale was the first woman elected to the Royal Statistical Society, and she used charts to show that more soldiers in the Crimean War died of disease than of their wounds.
Read the full story of International Nurses Day
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Taurus · April 20 – May 20 · Earth sign
Steady and loyal, with a weakness for good food and comfortable things.