History:
The history of braille goes all the way back to the early 1800’s. A man named Charles Barbier who served in Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army developed a unique system known as “night writing” so soldiers could communicate safely during the night. Being a military veteran, Barbier had seen several soldiers killed because they used lamps after dark to read combat messages. The light shining from the lamps told enemy combatants where the French soldiers were and inevitably led to the loss of many men.
Barbier based his “night writing” system on a raised 12-dot cell; two dots wide and six dots tall. Each dot or combination of dots within the cell represented a letter or a phonetic sound. The problem with the military code was that the human fingertip could not feel all the dots with one touch.
Louis Braille was born in the village of Coupvray, France on January 4, 1809. He was blinded at a very young age after he accidentally stabbed himself in the eye with his father’s awl. Braille’s father was a leather-worker and used the awl to poke holes in the leather goods he produced.
At eleven years old, Braille was inspired to modify Charles Barbier’s “night writing” code in an effort to create an efficient written communication system for fellow blind individuals. One year earlier he was enrolled at the National Institute of the Blind in Paris and spent the better part of the next nine years developing and refining the system of raised dots that has come to be known by his name, Braille.
The Cache:
You do not need any special tools for this cache. You simply need knowledge of braille and your fingertips.
When you arrive at ground zero, you will find an ammo can with a plastic tag attached to it. The ammo can is locked with a standard combination padlock. The tag is embossed with the combination to the padlock in braille.
I would recommend printing a braille chart that displays numbers. It is too easy to use your eyes and look at the braille. Before you do that, try it with your eyes closed. You will likely gain a sense of appreciation for the skill required to read braille.
Try not to get too frustrated and enjoy this cache. They can’t all be easy!
Congratulations to Rocking the Goat on the FTF!