Japanese engineer Seiichi Miyake came to fame after Google honored him in one of their doodles in March 2018.
But Miyake, who died in 1982, has been instrumental in paving the way for the blind since 1965.
His tactile tiles line crossings at subways and rail lines throughout the world.
Miyake invented the tiles after a friend started losing his sight. Using his own money, Miyake created tiles that warned of caution (the dotted tiles) and gave direction (the bar tiles.) In two years, his tiles were installed in Japan and by the 1980s they were a fixture worldwide.
Today, even guide dogs are trained to understand these tiles.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
