Paulo Reglus Neves Freire was a Brazilian educator and philosopher who dedicated his life to improving the lives of the poor through education. In 1962, he taught 300 sugarcane workers to read and write in just 45 days, representing the first significant application of his educational theories. Freire went on to publish influential books and leave a legacy of liberating disadvantaged communities through cultural revolution, before passing away from heart failure in 1997.