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Helen Keller
The first college graduate to be both deaf and blind, Helen Keller later became a noted activist for social causes.
1,514 Questions
What did Helen Keller major in college?
Helen Keller studied arithmetic (Least favorite) , English literature (Favorite) , American history, French, and German.
What did Helen Keller parents want?
Helen Keller's parents wanted to provide her with the best education and opportunities possible, despite her disabilities. They sought help from various experts to find ways to communicate with Helen and help her live a full and independent life. Through their dedication and support, Helen was able to overcome many challenges and achieve remarkable success.
What does the name hellen mean?
The name Hellen is of Greek origin and is derived from the Greek word "Hellene," which was used to describe an ancient Greek person. It can also refer to the civilization of ancient Greece or be used as a variant of the name Helen.
Time line of Helen Kellers life?
Chronology of Helen Keller's Life
June 27, 1880Helen Keller is born to Captain Arthur Henley Keller and Kate Adams Keller at Ivy Green in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
February 1882After being struck by illness, Helen loses both her sight and hearing. No definitive diagnosis of the disease is ever determined.
Summer 1886The Keller family meets with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, who recommends contacting Michael Anagnos, director of Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston. Captain Keller writes to Anagnos, requesting a teacher for Helen. Anagnos contacts his star pupil and valedictorian, Anne Mansfield Sullivan.
March 3, 1887Anne Sullivan arrives in Tuscumbia and begins teaching Helen manual sign language.
April 5, 1887Anne makes the "miracle" breakthrough, teaching Helen that "everything had a name," by spelling W-A-T-E-R into Helen's hand as water from the family's water pump flows over their hands.
May 1888Anne, Helen, and Kate Keller travel north, visiting Alexander Graham Bell, and meeting President Grover Cleveland at the White House, and visiting Aganos at Perkins Institution.
Fall 1889Anne and Helen return to Perkins, where Helen is considered a "guest" of the school.
November 1891Helen sends Anagnos the story "The Frost King" as a birthday present. She is accused of plagiarism. By 1894, Anagnos had broken off his relationship with Helen and Anne.
October 1894Helen and Anne travel to New York City, where Helen attends the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf.
August 19, 1896Helen's father, Captain Keller, dies.
Fall 1896Helen becomes a devout Swedenborgian.
October 1896Helen is accepted as a pupil at the Cambridge School for Young Ladies, in preparation for attendance at Harvard's annex for women, Radcliffe College.
December 1897Helen and Anne leave the Cambridge School and move to Wrentham, Massachusetts. Helen continues her college preparatory studies with the assistance of private tutors.
July 4, 1899Helen receives her certificate of admission to Radcliffe College.
September 1900Helen becomes a member of the freshman class of 1904 at Radcliffe.
March 1903With the help of editor John Albert Macy, Helen writes The Story of My Life.
Spring 1904Helen and Anne buy a home on seven acres of land in Wrentham.
June 28, 1904Helen becomes the first deaf-blind individual to receive a bachelor of arts degree, graduating cum laude from Radcliffe.
May 3, 1905Anne marries John Macy at Wrentham.
July 1908Helen writes and publishes The World I Live In.
Spring, 1909Helen and John Macy join the Socialist Party of Massachusetts, and Helen becomes a suffragist.
January 1913Helen and Anne begin their career on the lecture circuit, which is to last more than 50 years. Helen writes and publishes Out of the Dark, a collection of socialist writings.
1914John Macy leaves Anne, though they never officially divorce.
October 1914Polly Thomson joins Helen and Anne's household.
November 1916Peter Fagan, John Macy's assistant, proposes to Helen, and they take out a marriage license in Boston. Helen's mother forces her to publicly renounce her engagemen. Helen is sent to Montgomery, Alabama, to visit family, while Anne and Polly travel to Lake Placid and Puerto Rico in hopes of aiding Anne's failing health.
October 1917Helen and Anne sell their farm in Wrentham and move with Polly to Forest Hills, New York.
May 1918Deliverance, a silent film based on Helen's life, is produced.
February 1920Helen and Anne begin their vaudeville career.
June 1921Helen's mother, Kate Keller, dies.
October 1924Helen and Anne begin their work with the American Foundation for the Blind.
June 1925Helen makes an appeal before the International Convention of Lions Clubs, asking the Lions to become "Knights of the Blind."
October 1927My Religion, Helen's account of her Swedenborgian beliefs, is published.
Spring 1929Midstream, an autobiographical account of Helen's later life, is published.
April 1930Helen, Anne, and Polly travel abroad for the first time, visiting Scotland, Ireland and England for over six months.
April 1931Helen, Anne, and Polly participate in the first World Council for the Blind.
August 1931Helen, Anne, and Polly travel to France and Yugoslavia.
May 1932The women make a third trip abroad, visiting Scotland and England.
August 26, 1932John Macy dies in Pennsylvania.
December 1932Helen is elected to AFB's board of trustees.
June 1933Helen, Anne and Polly return to Scotland.
October 20, 1936Anne Sullivan Macy dies.
November 1936Helen and Polly travel abroad, visiting England, Scotland, and France.
April 1937Helen and Polly travel to Japan, Korea, and Manchuria.
Spring 1938Helen Keller's Journal, a personal account of Helen's life in 1936 and 1937, is published.
September 1939Helen sells her home in Forest Hills, and the household moves to Arcan Ridge in Westport, Connecticut.
January 1943Helen begins her visits to the blinded, deaf, and disabled soldiers of World War II in military hospitals around the country. She calls this "the crowning experience of my life."
October 1946Helen and Polly make their first world tour for the American Foundation for the Overseas Blind (AFOB) , AFB's sister organization, visiting London, Paris, Italy, Greece, and Scotland. In the next 11 years, they would visit 35 countries on five continents.
November 1946A fire destroys Arcan Ridge, along with almost all of the household's possessions.
September 1947The household moves into Arcan Ridge 2, an almost identical replica of the original Arcan Ridge home.
April-August 1948Helen and Polly begin a tour of Australia and New Zealand as representatives of the AFOB. When they reach Japan, Polly suffers her first stroke, and the remainder of the tour is canceled.
Spring 1950-Spring 1953Helen and Polly continue to travel all over the world, including Europe, South Africa., the Middle East, and Latin America.
Winter 1953A documentary film of Helen's life, The Unconquered (later renamed Helen Keller in Her Story), is released.
February 1955Helen and Polly embark on a tour of the Far East, including India and Japan.
June 1955Helen receives an honorary degree from Harvard University, the first woman to be so honored.
December 1955Teacher, Helen's biography about Anne Sullivan Macy, is published.
Spring 1956The Unconquered wins an Academy Award for best feature length documentary of 1955.
November 1956Helen makes peace with Perkins Institution, attending the dedication of "Keller-Macy Cottage."
Winter 1956-57William Gibson's play The Miracle Worker, based on Helen's early life with Anne, debuts on television and on Broadway.
May 1957Helen and Polly tour Iceland and Scandinavia.
March 21, 1960Polly Thomson dies.
October 1961Helen suffers her first stroke and retires from public life.
September 1964President Lyndon Johnson confers the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, upon Helen. She is unable to attend the ceremony.
June 1, 1968Helen Keller passes away in her sleep. Over 1,200 mourners attend the funeral at the National Cathedral. Helen's ashes are interred there with those of Anne and Polly.
From To Love This Life: Quotations by Helen Keller.Copyright ©2000 AFB Press, American Foundation for the Blind. All rights reserved.
Why is Helen Sharman so important?
Helen Sharman is important because she was the first British astronaut and the first woman to visit the Mir space station in 1991. Her accomplishment paved the way for more women to pursue careers in space exploration and inspired future generations of scientists and astronauts.
Where was Helen Keller living when she died?
Helen Keller was living in Easton, Connecticut, at the time of her death in 1968.
How did hellen Keller show courage?
Helen Keller showed courage by overcoming her deafblindness to become a noted author and advocate for people with disabilities. She faced numerous challenges and obstacles but never gave up on her dreams of communication and education, inspiring others with her determination and resilience.
What was realization that every thing has a name important to Keller?
The realization that everything has a name was important for Helen Keller because it opened up a whole new world of communication and understanding for her. Once she learned that objects had names and those names could be spelled out in sign language, she was able to make connections between objects and their names, leading to a better understanding of the world around her. This realization was a crucial step in her learning process and development.
She was blind and deaf, yet became a teacher and a prominent author, political activist and lecturer. Other achievements of hers include being the first deafblind person to receive a Bachelor's Degree of the Arts, advocation for women's suffrage and labor rights and the rights of the disabled. She is considered one of the 20th century's Most Admired Persons according to a Gallup poll.
She was the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college and earn a bachelor of arts degree.She was a writer, a teacher, traveled around the world, and campaigned for many progressive causes.
Where is Helen Keller's grave?
She died in Connecticut in l968., the funeral was somewhat hush hushy. the body was eventually cremated and her ashes placed in Washington Cathedral. She was believed to have professed the Swedenborgian faith. The large bronze statue of her in an Alabama graveyard is in effect a centotaph, she is not buried there. As far as I know there was no post-mortem examination which could have shed light on her various handicaps and adaptations- and perhaps... better left unsaid.
Why was Helen Keller not allowed to marry Peter Fagan?
A newspaper reported on Fagan's application for a marriage license in Boston. Helen was "taken" (some would call it kidnapping) to her mother's home in Alabama, and the family did not allow Peter and Helen to see each other again.
It is probable that the family could not reconcile their image of Helen as pure and saintly with the reality of her getting married and having sex.
What states did Helen Keller visit?
Helen Keller visited several states in the United States, including Massachusetts, New York, and California. She also traveled to other countries around the world, such as England, Scotland, and Japan, to advocate for people with disabilities and promote education.
Did Helen Keller have a brother?
Yes, Helen Keller had a younger brother named Phillips Brooks Keller, who was born in 1892. Phillips was less than two years younger than Helen and was a constant presence in her life, providing support and companionship.
How many kids did Helen Keller have?
Helen Keller did not have any children. She dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of the disabled and promoting education for all.
Why didn't Helen Keller wear sunglasses?
I've never seen photos of Helen wearing sunglasses, but there would be two reasons for it. She had a protruding left eye, which is why most photographs of her are taken in profile from her left. When she and Anne were on the Vauleville circuit, she may have worn them to obfuscate the appearance of that eye. Then in 1930 at the age of 50 she had surgery and both eyes were replaced with prosthetics. If she wore sunglasses after that, it would have been to minimize the attention to eyes that did not move at all.
Did Helen Keller make any bad decisions?
Helen Keller faced many challenges and obstacles in her life due to her disabilities, but there is no evidence to suggest that she made any particularly "bad" decisions. She was a pioneering activist and advocate for people with disabilities, and her legacy continues to inspire many.
Helen Keller died at the age of 87 on June 1, 1968. She passed away in her sleep in her home located in Easton, Connecticut. Keller had several strokes a few years before that left her in bad health before her death.
When did Helen Keller become blind?
Helen Keller became blind and deaf at the age of 19 months due to an illness that is believed to have been either scarlet fever or meningitis.
What did Helen Keller think of herself?
Helen Keller had a strong sense of self-worth and belief in her capabilities despite her disabilities. She saw herself as a capable individual who could overcome challenges and make a difference in the world. She believed in the power of perseverance and determination.
How did Helen Keller take a stand?
Early life:
Helen Keller was born June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia Alabama. When she was 19 months old, she contracted what might have been scarlet fever or meningitis. The disease caused her to become deaf and blind. By the age of six, her family sought help from a doctor who put them in touch with Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of telephone who also worked with deaf children). He recommended the Perkins Institute for the Blind, and a former, visually impaired student, Anne Sullivan, began working with Helen.
Political views:
In her adult life, Keller was an activist, and member of the Socialist Party. She became a well-known author, and worked in support of the blind and deaf. She was a feminist and campaigned for women's suffrage, and worker rights. She openly supported human rights, and opposed child labor, and capital punishment. Keller also stood in opposition to war. She was a founding member of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), and in the 1920's, donated hundreds of dollars to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
After a series of strokes in 1961, she spent her final years at home where she died in her sleep June 1, 1968.
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Helen Keller worked as an author, lecturer, and activist for disabled rights. She traveled around the world to raise awareness about the deaf-blind community and advocate for social change.
