Louis Braille

Born in Coupvray, France, young Louis was just three years old when an accident with an awl in his father's harness shop cost him his sight. One might say he saw the world a little differently after that, though perhaps not through choice. Attending one of the first schools for the blind in the world, he quickly excelled, but found the existing reading systems cumbersome.

While others might have just sighed and given up, Braille was clearly made of tougher stuff. Inspired by a military code designed for night reading, he spent years refining his own system, creating a simple, elegant method that allowed blind individuals to read and write with unprecedented speed and ease. It was, dare we say, brilliant.

Despite initial resistance from sighted educators who preferred older, less effective methods – because change is hard, even when it’s demonstrably better – Braille’s system eventually won out. It became the global standard, granting literacy and independence to millions. So while Louis might not have been a Jew, he certainly brought a world of "nachas" to those who previously couldn't read a single word. What's more Kvell-worthy than that?