Before he ever touched a workbench, Sax became a legend in his hometown of Dinant, Belgium, for his improbable survival. His neighbors were convinced he was either cursed or protected, as he survived:

Born into a family of instrument makers, Sax was a child prodigy who submitted flutes to competitions by age 15. In the early 1840s, he set out to create an instrument that bridged the gap between (like the clarinet) and brass (like the trumpet).

: Drinking a bowl of vitriol (acidic water) he mistook for milk.

The story behind the origins of the saxophone - Yamaha Corporation

: Receiving serious burns from a gunpowder explosion and accidentally falling onto a hot stove. Near Drowning : Almost drowning in a river. The Invention: Bridging Two Worlds