Good morning children!

This week the World Book Day is celebrated in many countries. The best way to celebrate it is to mention special and very significant people who contributed to language and literature. In this case, I found convenient to start introducing one of the most influential inventors of the language: Louis Braille.  

LOUIS BRAILLE

Louis Braille was born in a small town near Paris, France in 1809.

His father was a shoemaker and the young Louis enjoyed playing in his father's workshop. One day, while his father was not watching, Louis accidentally punctured his eye with an awl, a sharp tool used to punch holes in leather. The infection eventually set in and spread to his other eye, leaving Louis completely blind.

Captain Charles Barbier went to Louis ‘school to share with them the original system he invented. Sonography, or night writing, was a system of embossed symbols (standing out from the surface) used by soldiers to communicate silently at night on the battlefield. Inspired by Barbier Braille adapted it and in 1829 Louis Braille published the Method of Writing Words using six raised dots to represent the standard alphabet. The system was called Braille and enables blind people of any age to read with the tips of their fingers and they can even take notes.

Thank you for listening.

See you in the next podcast.