ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

1829 braille

So, you know how you can read books with your eyes? But what about people who can't see? Well, a man named Louis Braille invented a way for them to read books too! He made a special code with raised dots that people could feel with their fingers. This code is called braille.

In 1829, Louis Braille was just a teenager when he came up with this idea. He had been blind since he was a little boy, and he wanted to find a way to read books like everyone else. He had seen a system of writing in the army that used raised dots but it was too complicated, so he came up with his own system.

The braille code is made up of six dots, arranged in two columns of three dots each. Each dot can be raised or not raised, and when you combine them in different ways, they make different letters, numbers, and even punctuation marks.

Today, braille is used all over the world, and it helps blind people read everything from books to signs to menus. Thanks to Louis Braille, they can read and learn just like everyone else!