Florence’s parents named her after the city of her birth, a lovely reminder of their three-year-long honeymoon around Italy but perhaps a little unfortunate for her sister, Parthenope.

Flo’s upper-class family were non-too thrilled by what she believed was her ‘calling’ to become a nurse, which at the time was associated with low social status, alcoholism and prostitution.

The pioneer of modern nursing also ventured into the sexy world of statistical analysis. An early adopter and promoter of the very first pie charts, they allowed her to clearly illustrate her findings on healthcare and sanitation in a clear and accessible way.

On her return from Crimea, she took to her bed for decades. Rumours were rife as to the cause, with some believing she had contracted syphilis and others PTSD. But even illness didn’t stop Florence from working like a machine, advocating social reform from her bed and improving the average life expectancy by 20 years before dying in 1910 at the ripe old age of 90.