1866 – On This Day

Beatrix Potter was a native of England. She is best known as the author and illustrator of over 20 children’s books starring such characters as Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and Benjamin Bunny. Potter was also a successful farmer, conservationist and natural scientist. She left much of her land holdings to the National Trust, part of which now constitutes the Lake District National Park in England.

Helen Beatrix Potter was born at West Brompton, Kensington, London in 1866. She was educated privately by governesses. During her childhood she spent her holidays in the Lake District and in Scotland where she developed a strong interest in the flora and fauna of the countryside. She published her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902. The publication was a success and was followed by more than 20 other children’s books.

In 1905 Potter moved to live in the Lake District where she bought Hill Top Farm. She continued to write but in later years she purchased additional farms and concentrated on farming. Her books are still popular with children worldwide. They continue to sell and are often depicted in film.

Beatrix Potter was born in the year 1866 On This Day.

Photo by piddy77

Beatrix Potter

Anne Sullivan was a teacher who educated the blind and deaf Helen Keller. She became Keller’s friend and lifelong companion. Sullivan herself had impaired eyesight, having contracted trachoma at the age of five. The story of Sullivan and Keller has been told in various dramas down the years including the in the film 1962 film ‘The Miracle Worker’.

Johanna Mansfield Sullivan, called Anne, was born in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts in 1866. Her parents had emigrated from County Limerick, Ireland to the United States during the 1840’s. Due to her impaired eyesight Sullivan was educated at Perkins School for the Blind in Boston. She underwent several operations which helped improve her vision. She graduated as the valedictorian of her class in 1886.

Following graduation Sullivan was employed by the parents of Helen Keller to teach their 7 year old daughter who was blind and deaf. Sullivan’s efforts were successful and Keller was admitted to Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1900. Sullivan accompanied Keller to college and assisted her with her studies. Keller became the first deaf blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1904.

Sullivan and Keller remained close companions. They travelled widely giving lectures and appearing in vaudeville performances. They were awarded honorary degrees from several universities. Anne Sullivan’s health began to decline and she died in New York at the age of 70 on October 20^th 1936. Helen Keller died aged 87 on June 1^st 1968.

Anne Sullivan was born in the year 1866 On This Day.