Welcome to the History Tricks, where any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is purely coincidental.

And here's your 30-second summary.

This woman lived her formative years with no one to help her,

but is remembered as the helper and teacher to one of the most inspirational women of all time.

The End.

Here at the beginning of the minicast, I should say that if you haven't yet listened to episode 7, Helen Keller,

you should stop here and go back and listen to the Helen Keller podcast.

There's a lot in that show that will provide you the background for this show.

Alright, welcome to the minicast.

When we were doing the Helen Keller podcast, we thought that it would be important to tell the story of Anne Sullivan-Macy.

Yes, because even though her life is completely intertwined with Helen's up to a certain point,

has her own history, and we should spot like that.

So let's drop her into history.

She was born in 1866.

That year, Jesse James was robbing his first bank in Liberty, Missouri.

The urinal is patented that year.

Congress approves the nickel, which replaces the halftime.

And Charles Elmer Hires begins bottling and selling root beer.

All in 1866.

And on April 14th of that year's in feeding hills, Massachusetts, and Sullivan is born.

So her name is really Anne. Her name is Joanna.

While the Sullivan family was immigrants from Ireland, they left because of the potato famine.

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