International Nurses Day is celebrated annually on 12 May as a tribute to nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, who was born on that day in 1820.
Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople.
She significantly reduced death rates by improving hygiene and living standards.
Nightingale gave nursing a favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of 'The Lady with the Lamp' where she would make rounds of wounded soldiers at night.