Frida and I started Barco’s Nightingales Foundation to promote the nursing profession and honor those men and women who choose nursing as their career.  In our work, we often find little known but fascinating tidbits about the history of nursing.  For example, did you know that…

–Linda Richards was the first nurse to earn a Nursing diploma in the United States.  She earned it in 1873 and the proof of her graduation is on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
–James Derham, a black slave, was “owned” by several doctors working as a nurse. He bought his freedom using his nursing salary and later became the first African-American physician.
–The famous poet and essayist Walt Whitman served as a volunteer nurse during the Civil War in Fredericksburg, Virginia. His poem entitled “The Wound Dresser” was based on his nursing experience in the battlefield.
–The Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing, New York City, founded in 1873, was the first school of nursing in the United States to be founded on the principles of nursing established by Florence Nightingale.
–The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, founded in 1889 in consultation with Florence Nightingale, was one of the earliest nursing schools established in the United States.
–The University of Minnesota offered the first university based nursing program.
As a friend to nursing, we are committed to raising the professional image of nursing and honoring all those who dedicate their lives to this valuable service.
~Michael and Frida Donner