Helen Keller biography and timeline | American Masters
Helen Keller is a historical figure known worldwide, but many remember her as 7-year-old DeafBlind girl at a water pump. She recounted this moment from her youth in her first autobiography, “The Story of My Life,” later made famous by the book’s stage and screen adaptation, “The Miracle Worker.” But there’s so much more to her story. She lived to age 87 and had a complex, decades-long career. She was a suffragist, pacifist, labor union advocate, card-carrying socialist, an early supporter of the NAACP, a member of the ACLU and believed strongly in higher education. Keller graduated from Radcliffe College with a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in 1904, becoming the first DeafBlind person to earn a college degree.
Keller saw the power in sharing her ideas with the world through writing. She authored more than a dozen books and 400 essays to share her experiences and progressive viewpoints. Her most popular book is “The Story of My Life,” which was translated into 50 languages and remains in print today. As a writer and passionate public speaker, she covered radical topics, including women’s issues, racial and economic inequalities and advocating for education and job opportunities for people with disabilities.
In her later years, she traveled the world as a Goodwill Ambassador. She visited more than three dozen countries to continue her crusade for employment for people with disabilities, people living in poverty and women’s rights.
She was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1964 before her death on June 1, 1968. See below for a timeline of Keller’s achievements.
Helen Keller reading, 1907. Courtesy of Library of Congress.
June 27, 1880Helen Keller born in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
June 27, 1880
March 3, 1887Annie Sullivan arrives in Alabama to teach Keller.
March 3, 1887
PHOTO: Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, 1893. Courtesy of Library of Congress. May 1888Keller and Sullivan arrive in Boston to further her education at Perkins School for the Blind.
May 1888
1894Keller attends the Wright-Humason School in New York City.
1894
1896Keller enters the Cambridge School for Young Ladies under the tutelage of Arthur Gilman.
1896
1900Keller enters Radcliffe College, an extension of Harvard University for women.
1900
1903Keller’s memoir, "The Story of My Life," is published.
1903
June 1904Keller graduates from Radcliffe College cum laude.
June 1904
1904
Keller moves to Wrentham, Massachusetts.
1904
PHOTO: Helen Keller portrait, 1905. Courtesy of Library of Congress. 1908Keller's book, "The World I Live In," is published.
1908
1909Keller joins the Socialist Party.
1909
1910"The Song of the Stone Wall," by Helen Keller, is published.
1910
1914Keller's book, "Out of the Dark," is published.
1914
January 5, 1916Keller gives “Strike Against War” Speech at Carnegie Hall, NYC.
January 5, 1916
1916Keller and Peter Fagan fall in love and plan to elope, but do not due to her family’s objection.
1916
1916Keller sells Wrentham house and moves to Forest Hills, NY.
1916
1919Keller stars in "Deliverance," a silent film about her life.
1919
October 20, 1936Annie Sullivan, Keller's lifelong companion and instructor, dies.
October 20, 1936
April 1, 1937Keller leaves for first Japan visit.
April 1, 1937
1938Keller sells Forest Hills house and moves to Arcan Ridge in Westport, Connecticut.
1938
1943Keller visits World War II military hospitals.
1943
September 1944Keller speaks at rally with Henry Wallace for Roosevelt in Madison Square Garden.
September 1944
October 1946Keller leaves on a tour of England, Greece, France, Italy, Ireland, The Vatican.
October 1946
1946
Keller begins a series of world tours as a Goodwill Ambassador on behalf of people with disabilities, inspiring many governments to establish schools for students who are blind and deaf. She visited more than three dozen countries in eleven years including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Iceland India, Israel, Hong Kong, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and Syria.
1946
PHOTO: Helen Keller and Polly Thomson. Courtesy of Perkins School for the Blind. 1959Stage production of "The Miracle Worker."
1959
April 8, 1961Keller receives The Lions Humanitarian Award.
April 8, 1961
1964Keller is awarded the Medal of Freedom.
1964
June 1, 1968Keller dies. Her funeral is held at the National Cathedral.
June 1, 1968
1973Keller is inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
1973
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