Two of the Most Important Children of the 20th Century…

…were Charles De Gaulle’s Anne and Rosemary Kennedy.

De Gaulle’s tenderness toward his girl is one of the great public witnesses to the dignity of mentally disabled people. In contrast, the tragedy of Rosemary’s lobotomy and the shame and neglect to which she was subjected contributed (eventually) to Eunice Kennedy Shriver founding the Special Olympics and a raised public awareness of mentally disabled folk.