20 AMAZING Facts to Know about Florence Nightingale

20 AMAZING Facts to Know  about Florence Nightingale

by Deva-Marie Beck, PhD, RN, DTM  &  Barbara Dossey, ​PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, HWNC-BC

DATELINE December 2020 — 
​During the last days of the Nightingale Bicentenary & beyond….

‘Lady with the Lamp’ from A Famous Poem

Nightingale became the famous ‘Lady with the Lamp’ because of the widely popular poem ’Santa Filomena’ penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) the American poet and educator who was inspired by soldiers' letters written from the Crimean War. From Florence Nightingale, Mystic, Visionary, Healer, pp. 185-186.

She Appreciated A ‘Marriage of A Kind’

Because Nightingale wanted to focus only on her work—and not on the demands of family life—she never married. But still, she much appreciated her 'marriage of a kind' with Professor Benjamin Jowett, a leading Oxford Scholar and Headmaster of their day. Their deep, supportive and inspired friendship lasted more than 30 years until his death in 1893. From Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer, pp. 329-331.

A Friend of ‘Alice in Wonderland’

Lewis Carroll, the author of 'Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass'—whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832 - 1898)—was a close friend of Nightingale and Jowett. Wikipedia.

Her Recorded Voice Is Still Available Today

Nightingale’s voice remains available to us today because of the American Thomas Edison—whose assistant, Colonel George Gourard visited her in London in 1890 and created a recording using Edison’s early phonograph invention. Nightingale agreed to this recording to 'perpetuate the great work' of her life.  From Florence Nightingale, Mystic, Visionary, Healer, p. 398.

She Advised Five High-Ranking Viceroys

Nightingale was highly-respected by many of the British leaders of her time. During the 1870s and 1880s, she advised a series of five high-ranking Viceroys who served the British Empire as leaders in India. Lord Ripon was one of these Viceroys (from 1880-1884) and Nightingale's close friend and long-time supporter of her work. From Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer  pp. 358-361.

She Inspired the Young Mohandas Gandhi

When Nightingale died in 1910, the young Indian Nationalist Mohandas Gandhi wrote an inspired tribute to her humanitarian example in his fledgling newspaper, the Indian Opinion. Soon thereafter, he moved to South Africa and formed a team of Indian volunteer stretcher-bearers during the Boer War, establishing his lifelong commitment to peace because of this experience and his appreciation for Nightingale’s commitment to serving wounded and dying soldiers. From Florence Nightingale Mystic, Visionary, Healer, pp. 414-415 and Wikipedia.

She Advised Queen Victoria & Prince Albert

Nightingale was a close friend and confidant to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, advising them to consider major British Army reforms after the failures of the Crimean War. They famously wished that Nightingale could actually work at their official ‘War Office.’ From Florence Nightingale Mystic, Visionary, Healer, pp. 190-191.

She Participated in the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair

At Queen Victoria’s request, Nightingale crafted the last of her major works--Sick-Nursing & Health-Nursing’—an essay  within an anthology titled ‘Woman’s Mission.’ This was part of the official British submission to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair—the first such international Exhibition to officially celebrate the contributions women made to civilization and to humanity. From Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer, pp. 388-389 and Florence Nightingale Today: Healing, Leadership, Global Action, pp. 151-171.

She Invented the Data 'Pie Chart' Wedge Diagram

Nightingale was one of the world’s first statisticians and used the data she collected to advance needed policy reforms throughout her career. When she collected and interpreted data about the deaths of wounded Crimean War soldiers during the Crimean War, she realized that illustrating these numbers with a 'Wedge Diagram' chart would assist Parliamentarians and other leaders to understand and care about her findings. From Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer, pp. 204-205.

She Championed Women’s Rights

Despite claims otherwise, Nightingale was an ardent champion of women’s rights in many forms. She established a woman’s right to have a career away from family obligations with her own life choices. For instance, she also encouraged women journalists—including her friend the famous writer Harriet Martineau—and became a women journalist herself. From Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer, pp. 214-216 & 277-278.

She Respected Catholic Nursing Sisters

Although she was born into the Anglican faith, Nightingale was deeply familiar with the Catholic faith and respected the example of Catholic nursing sisters. In fact, when she was in her late teens, she studied hospital administration books of Catholic nursing orders in the original Italian and French texts. From Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer, pp. 115-116.

She Is Widely Loved Across the World ​

By the time of her death in 1910, more than 20 nursing schools based on her system had been established around the world. Today, she is still widely loved and appreciated across Asia—in China, India, Japan, Korea and Thailand—and throughout the British Commonwealth's 54 nations. Stamps from many of these countries remember her work. From Nightingale & Friends Encircling the Globe: Words & Works of Healing & Compassion.

Her Social, Cultural & Environmental Concerns

Nightingale demonstrated that health is sustained when social, cultural and environmental health determinants are maintained. For instance, she identified environmental factors—fresh air, clean water and sanitation. She also worked to achieve social factors such as education for women and girls and cultural factors such as freedom of spiritual beliefs. See: UN SDGs as 17 Health Determinants.

She Connected Deforestation with Climate Change

Nightingale was keenly aware of the damage of deforestation and warned that tree-cutting would impact the climate. She particularly noted the widespread cutting of trees in many parts of India and wrote about her concerns in the then popular Fraser’s Magazine.  From Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer, pp. 271-277.

She Anticipated Today’s ‘Global Goals’

With her wide-ranging work on many related concerns, Nightingale fully anticipated current United Nations Global Goals—the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 2000-2015 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from 2015 to 2030. In her name, today’s nurses are becoming advocates for these Goals—increasing public concern to achieve them. See: Nightingale, NIGH & the UN Goals of Sustainable Development and Connecting the Dots: For Global Health & Development.

She Inspired the International Red Cross 

Henri Dunant—founder of the International Red Cross—credited Nightingale with his inspiration to establish this work in 1863. Since 1907, more than 1,500 Red Cross Nightingale Medals have been awarded to distinguished nurses serving worldwide. From Florence Nightingale Mystic, Visionary, Healer, pp. 323-324.

She Is Respected Across the Islamic World

Because she served Turkish and British soldiers during the Crimean War, Nightingale was deeply appreciated by the Turkish Sultan Abdulmecid I—then the political and spiritual leader of Islam. His respect for her has carried across the Muslim world ever since. In Turkey, she is often honoured with candle lighting ceremonies at the Florence Nightingale

College of Nursing at the University of Istanbul. The Flame of Florence Nightingale’s Legacy Prayer was first recited during such a ceremony at Nightingale’s own Scutari Barracks at a United Nations Conference in 1996. 

She Was Indeed A Mystic, A Visionary & A Healer!

“We know Nightingale best as the founder of modern secular nursing. But that is only one side of her multi-faceted life. The source of her strength, vision and guidance was a deep sense of unity with God—which is the hallmark of the mystical traditions as it is expressed in all the world’s great religious traditions. This aspect of her life has been vastly underestimated. Yet, we cannot understand her legacy without taking this into account.” Text from the Preface to Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer,  pp vii-viii. and p. 442 (Nightingale & Western Mysticism)

Celebrated at the National Cathedral in Washington DC

In the year 2010 — the Centennial of Nightingale’s death in 1910 — a Global Commemorative Service to honour Nurses was convened and webcast across the world — with thousands of nurses attending on site at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, where a stained-glass window features Florence Nightingale’s work and life. To honour Nightingale’s wider work to achieve ‘Health-Nursing,’ this gathering called for achieving  United Nations ‘Global Goals.’ Highlights of this Service are still available to enjoy @ ‘For the First Time! Nurses Advocated for Global Goals’

A Light in London!

While the COVID 19 pandemic limited onsite celebrations of Nightingale’s 200th Birthday, her name and face were still featured in lights on London’s famous Parliament Buildings—directly illuminating across the Thames River—to the 

Guys & St Thomas Hospital—the site where a Nightingale Nursing School was founded in 1871—a hospital that Nightingale, herself, helped to design. Details @ Commemorating the 200th International Nurses Week!

                                List of Image Credits—Used with Appreciative Attribution
1) ‘Lady with the Lamp’ https://www.florence.co.uk/posts/7-things-you-didn-t-know-about-florence-nightingale
2) Benjamin Jowett, 1854 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Jowett#/media/File:Benjamin_Jowett_by_Richmond.jpg
3) Folio Society Edition of Alice in Wonderland https://storgy.com/2019/11/27/the-folio-society-alice-in-wonderland-by-lewis-carroll-illustrated-by-charles-van-sandwyk/
4) Edison's Phonograph https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/93942342212802990
5) Lord Ripon https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/lord-ripon-the-viceroy-of-india-to-pass-the-factory-act-important-reforms-and-achievements-1374410-2018-10-24
6) Gandhi during the Boer War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gandhi_Boer_War_1899.jpg
7) Queen Victoria & Prince Albert https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/200973202101360420/
8) Chicago World’s Fair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Columbian_Exposition
9) Nightingale’s Original Wedge Diagram https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nightingale-mortality.jpg
10) Harriet Martineau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Martineau
11) Villanova Stained Glass Window https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/nursing/about/building/artwork.html
12) Nightingale Stamps https://www.nighvision.net/nightingale--friends.html
13) Health Determinants https://www.colleaga.org/article/what-are-determinants-health
14) Global Climate Change https://digitallylearn.com/global-warming-effects-acid-rain-greenhouse-ozone-depletion-deforestation/
15) Global Goals https://www.hiclipart.com/free-transparent-background-png-clipart-jrone
16) International Red Cross Flag https://en.delfi.lt/politics/lithuania-provides-eur-55-000-in-humanitarian-aid-to-ukraine.d?id=77542401
17) She Is Respected Across the Islamic World  https://www.nighvision.net/nightingale-prayer1.html
18) Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer https://www.nighvision.net/featured-publications.html
19)  Florence Nightingale Window https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/234609461816052227/
20) 200th Nightingale Lights Up Parliament http://www.vimeo.com/417815342