Happy Birthday Louis Braille

Did you know? Louis Braille (1809–1852), invented the braille system of writing for the blind and visually impaired. Braille became blind at age four when he accidentally stabbed himself in the eye with his father's awl. This caused inflammation and eventual blindness in the other eye as well, a condition called sympathetic ophthalmia. Braille's system uses six raised dots to represent letters of the alphabet. Later he extended the system for use in music and mathematics.

Did you also know? The Braille Institute of America is a private, non–profit organization whose mission is "to eliminate blindness and severe sight loss as a barrier to a fulfilling life."