We all know that Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in the nursing field but did you know that she was also a pioneer in the field of statistics?
She developed a form of the pie chart now known as the polar area diagram, which is also called the Nightingale Rose Diagram. This diagram is still used in data visualization today.
Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy into a wealthy family. Her father, William Edward Nightingale and her mother Frances Nightingale encouraged Florence to pursue an education, which was unusual at that time.
Florence was intent on a career in nursing and after her graduation; she returned to London and joined the Institute for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen on August 22, 1853.
When the Crimean War broke out in October 1853, Nightingale was put in charge of nursing. She went to the battlefield with 38 nurses and got to work cleaning up an old hospital building and arranging for urgently needed supplies. Through her skill and leadership, thousands of soldiers were saved. At night, she would visit the sick and the injured carrying a lamp and became known as ‘The Lady with the Lamp’.
In 1907, she was conferred the Order of Merit by King Edward VII and received the Freedom of the City of London the following year, becoming the first woman to receive the honour. She died on August 13, 1910 in her home in London.
Picture Credit : Google
