Louis Braille wasn't born blind

One of the most interesting facts about Louis Braille is He was not blind from birth. Louis Braille, then 3 years old, enjoyed playing at his father's harness store, which was located next to the family's home, in the French village of Coupvray in 1812. One of the top harness makers in the region was his father. For the horses owned by the locals, Mr. Braille also fashioned reins, saddles, and collars. He used sharp instruments to cut the leather into strips and puncture it. Louis had been told not to play with the shop's tools since he was still too young.

On that particular day, Mr. Braille went outside the store to assist a customer. Like his father, Louis considered trying to make a hole in a piece of leather. He attempted to force the object through the leather by grabbing it. He lacked his father's physical toughness. Again, he gave it his best effort. He lost control of the tool, sending it flying up and into his left eye. Louis cried out in agony. To assist him, his parents, two sisters, and brother ran.

They covered his eye with a handkerchief. In Coupvray, there was no hospital. The nearest physician was a long way away. They brought Louis to a villager who utilized herbal remedies to heal wounds and illnesses. She applied a wet herbal solution to a cloth bandage before applying it to Louis' eye. But the infection from his injured eye spread to his other eye. Two years later, when he was five years old, he was blind in both eyes.