Researchers of the effects of social isolation on human beings learned a lot from “Genie” — not her real name, but assigned to protect her identity. Genie’s overbearing, abusive father, believing the girl was mentally retarded, kept both her and her nearly blind mother captive at home, with Genie alternately tethered to the toilet or tied up in a sleeping bag. She had few toys, though her only possession most times was a plastic raincoat. Her only contact during her captivity came with her father.

On this day, November 4, in 1970, Genie’s mother Irene finally managed to escape with her daughter, going to a nearby welfare office. The office worker, stunned at the appearance of the emaciated child, quickly contacted the police.

Genie’s father committed suicide shortly thereafter. Genie was taken to the hospital where a bevy of experts and specialists began to work on re-socializing her. Genie went from knowing just a few words to learning the names of many objects, although she was unable to speak their names for the most part. She developed a fairly large non verbal vocabulary, expressing herself with a mixture of sign language and drawings. Although she was heavily deprived of social contact during her most formative years, she made remarkable improvements after her freedom.