Virginia Henderson was a pioneering nurse who published influential textbooks on nursing principles and practice. She was born in 1897 in Missouri and graduated from the U.S. Army School of Nursing in 1921. After receiving her bachelor's and master's degrees, she joined the faculty at Columbia University. In 1939, she revised an influential nursing textbook. She later joined Yale University faculty and remained there for 40 years, publishing additional influential works. Henderson is considered the 20th century equivalent of Florence Nightingale for her writings on nursing principles and practice. She received many honors for her contributions to the nursing profession before passing away in 1996 at age 98.