Helen Keller was born on 27 June 1880 in Ivy Green. An American author, lecturer and activist, Keller lost her sight and hearing as a toddler after a serious illness and grew up in Alabama in near isolation. Her teacher Anne Sullivan taught her to communicate using finger spelling, and in a famous breakthrough she understood that words stood for things. She went on to graduate from Radcliffe College in 1904, the first deafblind person to earn a bachelor's degree in the United States. She wrote books including The Story of My Life and toured the world speaking for people with disabilities. She also supported women's suffrage, labour rights and socialism, and helped to found the American Civil Liberties Union.
Before and after
- 26 January 1880Birth of Douglas MacArthur
- April 1880Founding of National Bank of Romania
- 8 May 1880Death of Gustave Flaubert
- 4 June 1880Introduction of Bulgarian lev
- 27 June 1880Birth of Helen Keller
- 6 October 1880Founding of University of Southern California
- 15 October 1880Construction of Cologne Cathedral
- 26 October 1880Kimigayo
- 1 November 1880Birth of Alfred Wegener
More in Art, literature & culture
- 10 August 1793Construction of Louvre Museum
- 1 November 1800Construction of White House
- 1886Statue of Liberty
- 1894Radio
- c. 1900sRise of modernism
- 1907Rise of cubism
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.