7 Interesting Facts about Helen Keller: How a Deaf-Blind Woman Wrote Books, Flew Jets & Changed the World

The most common fact about Helen Keller we know is, she was a deaf-blind child playing at the Water pump of her childhood home, but what happens after the miracle? I was stunned while reading her autobiography last summer; Keller flew a plane over the Mediterranean, wrote 14 books in Braille, debated Mark Twain, and co-founded the ACLU. Helen Keller who was born in 1880 in Alabama lost sight and hearing at 19 months. Yet, she became a Radcliffe graduate, globetrotting activist, and Oscar winner. 

Check Out: Complete List of Helen Keller Books: Check Novels, Short Stories, Journals and More

Facts about Helen Keller

Now, let us move beyond the legend to seven most interesting facts about Helen Keller's life that redefine impossible.

1. She Was not Born Deaf and Blind—But Nearly

Contrary to popular belief, Keller lost her sight and hearing at 19 months after a devastating illness (now suspected to be meningitis or scarlet fever). By age 7, she had invented 60+ home signs to communicate. It was before Anne Sullivan arrived as her tutor.

2. Her First Word Was not Water Alone

She has mentioned the iconic water pump moment from 1897 in her book The Story of My Life. It was then that Sullivan spelled “W-A-T-E-R” while pumping liquid over Keller’s hand to build a lifelong connection. Minutes later, Helen learned 30 words and ended up craving names for everything from soil to her beloved doll. 

3. She Wrote 14 Books in Braille and Typed English

Keller mastered Braille at the age of 10. In fact, she typed all her manuscripts on a Braille writer. Her debut memoir, The Story of My Life published in 1903 sold more than 50,000 copies. She quoted writing  as “my necessary breath”. 

4. Helen Keller Flew a Plan and Loved It

Yes, Helen did fly a plan in 1946. It was during a transatlantic flight when Kellet took the cockpit controls for 20 minutes. She later wrote, “The plane’s vibrations spoke to me, freedom tasted like wind over Paris.”

5. She was a Radical Activist Who Co-Founded the ACLU

Apart from being a successful author, Keller also joined the Socialist Party in 1909, protested World War I, and co-founded the ACLU in 1920. Surprisingly, FBI files labeled her as dangerous for demanding labor rights and disability justice. 

6. She was BFFs with Mark Twain

There are accounts of Twain funding Helen Keller education. He declared that Keller was the most extraordinary person of their time. They used to trade sassy letters too. She called him God’s rebel, while he nicknamed her miracle worker in their letters. 

7. Keller was a World Traveler Who Advised Presidents 

Keller had visited 39 countries in her lifetime. She also got awarded with the Sacred Treasure medal by Japan. It happened when JFK invited her to advise on disability policy. She had always advocated optimism as the faith that leads to achievement to whomever she met and wherever she went. 

Check Out: How did Helen Keller Communicate? Check How She turned her Disability to Power

Helen Keller’s life reads like a rebellion against impossibility. As her letters reveal, she saw her activism not as heroism, but duty: "The world needs uncomfortable truths." Today, as her archives digitize at the American Foundation for the Blind, her words still ignite revolutions—proving that courage, like her legacy, knows no sensory bounds.