Florence Nightingale was a legend during her lifetime and was one of the greatest pioneers of nursing. She lived to be ninety years old and accomplished many great things in the field of nursing. Her descriptions of nursing, health, the environment and humanity are extraordinary and still true to this day. Nightingale reformed nursing and changed how it was viewed. Some of the problems of Nightingale's time, in the 1800s, we still face today. The nightingale not only impacted nursing in the 1800s, but it impacts nursing today. We do not need a new role model and icon for nursing because Nightingale changed the nursing profession for the better and this should never be forgotten. Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy; thus taking its name from the city in which it was born. His family was from England and lived during the Victorian era. While touring Europe during their two-year honeymoon, Nightingale was born. His parents William Edward Nightingale and Frances Smith Nightingale were a very wealthy couple. Nightingale had a sister named Parthenope who was about a year older than her (Davis, 1999). William Nightingale was well educated, attending Cambridge University in England and teaching his daughters at home. William Nightingale taught his daughters to speak Italian, Latin and Greek. He also taught them history, philosophy and mathematics; mathematics was one of Florence's favorite subjects to study (Audian, 1999). Florence's father gave her an education equivalent to that of an upper-class boy of his era. Partenope rejected her education and joined her mother in domestic activities, which ... middle of paper ... will never be forgotten. In conclusion, Nightingale's calling from God to her work was a true gift to the nursing profession. The way Nightingale grew up helped her realize the immense things she did for the nursing profession. She described nursing, the environment, humanity and health. Nightingale solved many problems in the nursing profession, one of which is the need for nursing education. He believed in education that was about documentation and clinical experience in the hospital. He also improved sanitization in hospitals due to his practice during the Crimean War. Nightingale made many contributions to the nursing profession that still exist today.