Louis Braille was born in 1809 in a small town near Paris, France. His father
earned money by making harnesses. One day, when he was three years old,
Braille went into his father’s workshop. One of the tools in the workshop was
an awl, a sharp instrument used to make holes in materials such as leather.
Louis grabbed the awl; it slipped and struck his eye. The eye became infected.
The infection soon spread to the other eye. Within days, Louis went completely
blind.