However, she wasn't born in Britain. She was born in Florence, Italy but brought up in Derbyshire, England.
Between 1837 and 1839 she travelled extensively with her parents and was horrified at the pain and suffering she saw.
This gave her an avid interest in nursing.
After her tour of Europe she became determined to study nursing - much to the disapprovement of her parents.
In 1853 she became superintendant at a small private hospital in London
After the Crimean War broke out she was aware of the terrible and unclean conditions of the military hospitals and volunteered, at the age of 34, to take a party of nurses to work in Turkey.
You can find out more by watching the video below:
By hard work and determination she soon improved the appalling conditions there, reducing the death rate by 40%.
Her custom of making a night round earned her the nickname "The Lady With the Lamp."
She returned to Britain in 1856 to enormous public acclaim and devoted the rest of her life to improving the army's medical service and developing civilian training for nurses and midwives.
She founded the Nightingale School for Nurses, the first such school in the world, at St. Thomas's Hospital, london.
In 1907 she became the first woman to receive the Order of Merit.
Why not take a look at the other "Success Masters" on this site by checking out the links at the foot of the index page - Success Leaves Traces - and you may well find that spark of inspiration you need to take the next step to success in your own life.
