15 Secrets Most People Probably Don’t Know About Helen Keller

5. Gifted Communicator

Helen learned to communicate in many different ways, including finger-spelling, lip-reading, reading Braille and raised type, and using a typewriter. But did you know that she also learned to speak? Watch this incredible video of Helen’s devoted teacher, Anne Sullivan, demonstrating how she taught Helen speech.

6. Music Aficionado

Helen was a great fan of music. Through her highly sensitive fingers, she could “hear” the vibration of the instruments as well as the human voice. Here she is pictured “listening” to violinist Jascha Heifetz.

7. Dog-Lover

Helen was a great lover of dogs, owning them from her young child and throughout her life. She was responsible for introducing the Japanese breed, The Akita, to America. Here she is pictured with her first Akita, Kamikaze-Go, whom she received as a gift from police officer Ichiro Ogasawara during one of her trips to Japan.

8. Entertainer

In 1919, Helen Keller starred in a silent film about her life entitled Deliverance. She and Anne Sullivan and also performed on the Vaudeville circuit for two years in the 1920s. In 1956, a documentary about Helen’s life entitled The Unconquered won the Academy Award for best documentary; Helen herself accepted the Oscar.

9. World Traveler

A staunch advocate for people with disabilities, Helen traveled to 39 countries in her lifetime, including England, Scotland, France, India, South Africa, Japan, and Korea. During her travels, she gave speeches and lectures and met with such illustrious figures as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Indian Premier Jawaharlal Nehru, and Japanese Emperor Hirohito.