Braille’s origins trace back to the Napoleonic Wars. French officer Charles Barbier created the “night writing” system for soldiers to communicate in the dark during that conflict.

Quick Scoop

  • Conflict: Napoleonic Wars.
  • Why it mattered: it let troops send messages without using light that could reveal their position.

If you want, I can also give you the one-sentence history of how Louis Braille adapted it into the modern Braille system.