The Braille characters used by blind people across the world were created by Louis Braille of France. January 4, 2009 is a meaningful day that celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille.
On January 2, 2009, South Korean post has released a nice stamp to celebrate his birthday.
Born in 1809 at Coupvray, a small country village near Paris, France, Louis Braille lost his eyesight at age 3 when he pricked one of his eyes with an awl in his father's workshop and lost the other eye to infection. When he was 12, he was exposed to the system designating letters with 12 raised dots at a blind and dumb school. They were developed for nighttime military communication purpose by a commissioned officer named Barbier. In 1824, based on these raised letters, Louis Braille created a new system of representing letters with 6 raised dots that was both simpler and easier to read and write. Later on, he also devised mathematical symbols and musical signs into raised letters and announced them. Being more systematic and easier to learn, the raised letters created by Braille started to spread to more and more people. Even though Louis Braille unfortunately died early at age 43 without seeing his raised letters being formally adopted and used, the raised letters developed by him became a door to the outside world for blind people across the world who used to be locked in the dark.
The Braille points comprise the 6 dots that are the most beautiful in the world. His name Braille is now referred to mean raised letters. On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, a new stamp is issued to commemorate his great achievements. The stamp features Louis Braille, the phrase meaning "the world seen by hands" and the image of the raised letters that expresses this phrase.
Technical details :
- Date of Issue : 01/02/2009
- Quantity : 1,600,000
- Denomination : 250 won
- Design : The world seen by hands
- Designer : Shin, Jae-yong
- Image Area : 50mm x 22mm
- Perforation : 13
- Sheet Composition : 4 x 5
- Paper : White unwatermarked
- Printing process and colors : Photogravure, six colors
- Print : Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation
( South Korean post )
