2019-11-01 Fri

The United States of America had issued this commemorative silver dollar with the theme of Louis Braille in the year 2009 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille. Louis Braille is well known as the inventor of the Braille system, which is still used by the blind to read and write.

Louis Braille was born on 4th January 1809 in Coupvray, France near Paris. At the age of 3, while working in this father’s workshop he lost his left eye. Later the infection got spread in his right eye and as a result, he completely blinds at the age of 4. At the age of 10, Braille received a scholarship to attend the Royal Institute for Blind Children in Paris, where he became the youngest student.
br> In the year 1821, Charles Barbier de la Serre, captain of Napoleon’s army visited Louis school and introduce a system which he has inverted known as ‘night writing’. This was a method for communicating on the battlefield at night without having to talk or light a match, which could alert the enemy. Later taking the inspiration from Barbier de la Serre Louis started developing a system of tactile code which will help blind people to read and write quickly and efficiently.

Louis Braille devoted his entire life to bettering and perfecting the code. It was many longs years after his death that Braille’s revolutionary invention was adapted for use in languages worldwide.

Image Courtesy: usmimt.gov