Died: June 1, 1968 (aged 87) Easton, Connecticut

Helen Keller was, for a time, the most famous handicapped person in the world. A severe fever at age 19 months left Keller blind and deaf and barely able to communicate. At age six Keller met Anne Sullivan, the tutor who taught Keller the alphabet and thereby opened up the world to her. The story of how Keller's teacher, Annie Sullivan, taught her how to communicate, has become known worldwide through the dramatic depictions of the play and film The Miracle Worker. Keller became an excellent student and eventually attended Radcliffe College, where she graduated with honors in 1904. She became the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at Radcliffe she wrote an autobiography, The Story of My Life (1902), which made her famous. (Her many later books included The World I Live In (1908), Out of the Dark (1913), and 1938's Helen Keller's Journal.) In later life Keller became an activist and lecturer,  in support of the blind and deaf, and for causes including Socialism and women's rights. She also founded and promoted the American Foundation for the Blind.   Helen's father's lineage can be traced to Casper Keller, a native of Switzerland. Coincidentally, one of Helen's Swiss ancestors was the first teacher for the deaf in Zurich A prolific author, Keller was well traveled and was outspoken in her opposition to war. She campaigned for women's suffrage, workers' rights, and socialism, as well as many other progressive causes. During her lifetime Keller was regarded as one of America's most inspirational figures.