May 12 - International Nurses Day

International Nurses Day takes place on the 12th of May every year, celebrated on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth, a woman remembered as "The lady with the lamp" for her undying commitment to the cause of health care.

International Nurses Day celebrates and applauds the nursing fraternity for their 24/7 service to promote health. Nurses are the backbone of the health care system, the "pivot in the 'Hospital-Doctor-Patient' paradigm". They provide preventative care, home care, and hospital care for their patients. They carry out prescribed treatment measures, but more importantly, they provide comfort and advice to their patients during troubled times.

If there are nurses in your life, show them the appreciation they have earned, today and every day!

Today is also Hug Your Cat Day, Limerick Day, Mother's Day (of course!), National Doodle Day, and World Fair Trade Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- British naval officer and explorer George Vancouver, known for his exploration of the BC Pacific coast, died in London, England in 1798.
- The Manitoba Act received royal assent in 1870. It created the new province of Manitoba and came into effect on July 15.
- Painter J. E. H. MacDonald, whose best paintings were done north of Lake Superior, often of great vistas in a turbulent style, was born in Durham, England in 1873.

- Louisiana legalized prize fighting in 1890.
- National Hospital Day was 1st observed in 1921.
- Also in 1921, Farley Mowat, reputedly Canada's most widely read author, published in over 40 countries, was born in Belleville, Ontario.

- 1500 Jews were gassed in Auschwitz in 1942.
- A formal NORAD (North American Air Defence) agreement between Canada and the US was signed in 1958, integrating Canadian and American air defence forces under a central command at Colorado Springs, Colorado.

- Ernie Banks hit his 500th home run in 1970.
- South African prisoner Nelson Mandela saw his wife for the 1st time in 22 years in 1984.
- At the age of 22, Susie Maroney of Australia, became the 1st person to swim from Cuba to Florida in 1997.
- Premier Gordon Campbell led the BC Liberal Party to a third consecutive majority in 2009, the first premier in 25 years to do so.
- An Afriqiyah Airways Flight crashed and killed everyone but one person on board in 2010.

Check out what happened last week in science:

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!