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