Helen Keller was born on June 7, 1880 in Alabama.  Born healthy, but half way through her first year of life she contracted and illness that left her both deaf and blind.  When she was seven, her parents realized she needed a teacher to help her.  Anne Sullivan helped Hellen learn to spell words with her hands and speak by feeling Miss Sullivan's mouth when she talked.  She learned French, German, Greek, and Latin in braille as well.  She entered Radcliffe College, the women's branch of Harvard University.  

 

Helen wrote her first book, called "The Story of My Life," then went on to write ten more and many articles as well.  She did research and gave speeches, raising money for organizations such as the American Foundation for the Blind and the American Foundation for the Overseas Blind, now called Hellen Keller Worldwide.  She traveled around the world speaking of her experiences and the rights of the blind.  In 1920, she helped found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).  

 

After Miss Sulivan passed, Helen had a young woman named Polly Thompson become her constant companion.  Her book became the basis for the movie "The Miracle Worker."  She suffered a series of strokes in 1961, and spent her remaining years at home in Connecticut.  During her livetime she received many honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.  She died in 1968, just short of her 88th birthday.