National Nurses' Week is celebrated May 6-12 each year.
Although a National Nurses' Day was first proposed in 1953, it
wasn't until 1974 that the ball really got rolling, when the International Council of Nurses
proclaimed May 12 International Nurse Day. (May 12 is the birthday of
Florence Nightingale,
the English nurse who is considered the founder of modern
nursing.)
Then in 1982 President
Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation that established a
national day of observance for nurses on May 6, but this was later
extended to a weeklong celebration to include May 12. In 1997 the
American
Nurses Association designated May 8 as National Student
Nurses' Day.
For more information about national and international holidays,
check out these sites:
