Every once in a while, remarkable geniuses arise to help move humankind ahead and inspire those around them. Sometimes, however, these highly intelligent individuals achieve more than even the smartest or most intuitive people who ever lived thought possible. Let's take a closer look at just some of these incredible geniuses.
After men dominated the world of chess for centuries, a young Hungarian girl born in 1976 changed all that. Judit Polgar quickly rose to become the strongest female chess grandmaster in history, achieving her title at only 15 years of age and managing to defeat many of the greatest male chess players of all time, including Garry Kasparov and Boris Spassky.
Andre John Wiles was only 10 years old when he was already deeply immersed in advanced mathematics, being able to understand and later solve Fermat's last theorem – one of the most beautiful and challenging problems in the history of mathematics. Andre has received many world recognized awards for his years of painstaking work and research.
One of the most intelligent women who ever lived, Emilie Chatelet is famous for synthesizing the first version of the conservation of energy, inspired in the early 1700s by the work of brilliant scientists like Newton and Leibniz. Estimated at an IQ of above 190, Chatelet managed to understand Descartes' analytic geometry at age 16 and later even build her very own science lab.
Currently one of the youngest smart minds of our time, Australian mathematician Terence Tau has an IQ of 230 – one of the highest in recorded history. He is also the youngest UCLA professor and has received numerous outstanding awards for his work between 2000 and 2003.
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most remarkable intelligent individuals in history. Practically centuries ahead of his time, this multi-genius was the first to study topics such as human anatomy, advanced physics and engineering to their full extent, while also excelling in topics such as science, arts and geography.
Common opinion placed Marie Curie at the top of the scientific world as one of the smartest women of her time. She is famous for the Nobel Prize won for her research work in radiation phenomena, as well as her world famous discovery of radium and polonium.
Stephen Hawking is probably the most inspiring scientist of recent times, managing to go on with his work in advanced theoretical physics despite his crippling paralysis. Hawking is most famous for his work in cosmology and quantum mechanics, as well as his ability to introduce advanced cosmology and relativistic concepts to the common folk.
Often requiring no introduction, Nikola Tesla is without a doubt a remarkable inventor and one of the most amazing intelligent people in history, His remarkably open mind and advanced visualization have led him to develop 700 patents, and some of his inventions play an invaluable part in modern technology even today.
A visionary unlike any other in recorded history, Einstein has probably gone further than any scientist in unlocking the secrets of the universe. His general and special theory of relativity earned him uncontested fame, and he is also considered to be one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century.
What other famous scientist, researcher or generally intelligent personality of our time and of centuries gone by would you add to the list? Also, which of the people I've mentioned here do you think should be given the most praise for their work and abilities?
Sources:
www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk
biography.com
eoht.info
wonderslist.com
thetoptens.com