Profession: Author
Biography: Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing at 19 months old due to an illness. With the help of her teacher Anne Sullivan, Keller learned to communicate by age 7. She went on to become the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating from Radcliffe College in 1904.
Keller authored 14 books, including her autobiography "The Story of My Life" (1903). She was a prolific essayist and public speaker. Throughout her life, Keller advocated for disability rights, women's suffrage, labor rights, and world peace.
Keller was a member of the Socialist Party of America, which she joined in 1909, and she co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1920. She supported Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs and was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).
Over her lifetime, Keller met and befriended many notable figures, including Alexander Graham Bell, Mark Twain, and Charlie Chaplin. Twain introduced her to Henry Huttleston Rogers, who helped fund her education.
In her later years, Keller suffered a series of strokes and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.
Born: June 27, 1880
Birthplace: Tuscumbia, Alabama, USA
Star Sign: Cancer
Historical Events
- 1887-03-03 Anne Sullivan begins teaching 6-year-old blind-deaf Helen Keller
- 1887-04-05 Anne Sullivan teaches "water" to blind and deaf six-year-old Helen Keller by holding one of her hands under a dripping water pump and spelling out “w-a-t-e-r” in Keller’s palm. She goes on to learn how to read, write, speak and graduate from college.
- 1979-10-14 NBC premiere of U.S. TV adaptation of Helen Keller's life story "The Miracle Worker"
Dorothy Parker
Graham Greene
H. G. Wells
John Mulaney
Maurice Sendak
Truman Capote