Top 15 Most Intelligent Figures in World History

Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (/ɡaʊs/; German: Gauß [ˈkaʁl ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈɡaʊs] (April 30, 1777 – February 23, 1855) was a talented German mathematician and scientist who made significant contributions to various scientific fields, including number theory, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, magnetism, static electricity, astronomy, and optics. Dubbed the 'prince of mathematicians,' with profound influence on the development of mathematics and science, Gauss is ranked alongside Leonhard Euler, Isaac Newton, and Archimedes as one of the greatest mathematicians in history.

The year 1796 was a fruitful one for both Gauss and number theory. On March 30th of that year, he discovered a method to construct the heptadecagon. Subsequently, he continued to advance modular arithmetic, greatly simplifying many operations in number theory. On April 8th, he became the first to successfully prove the quadratic reciprocity law. This notable general law allows mathematicians to determine the solvability of any quadratic equation within modular arithmetic. The prime number theorem, anticipated on May 31st, demonstrates a profound understanding of how prime numbers are distributed within the sequence of integers.

IQ Score: 275

Michael Kevin Kearney (born January 18, 1984) is an American university teaching assistant and game show contestant. He is known for setting multiple world records related to graduating at a young age, as well as teaching college students while still a teenager. The talented Michael Kearney was born in Hawaii, astonishing the local community by obtaining a Bachelor's degree from the University of South Alabama at the age of 10. At that time, Kearney was the youngest college graduate in the world (the record for a master's degree was broken in 1999 by Tathagat Avatar Tulsi).

By the age of 17, he had earned a master's degree in chemistry and computer science and began teaching classes at Vanderbilt University. At 21, Kearney completed his Ph.D. in chemistry. Despite abandoning his childhood dream of becoming a game show host, he became a successful contestant: Kearney won $1 million in AOL's Gold Rush competition in 2006 and $25,000 in the 2008 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire competition.

IQ Score: 263

William James Sidis (April 1, 1898 – July 17, 1944) was a prodigy known for his remarkable mathematical and linguistic abilities. Following William's passing, his sister made an unverified claim about his IQ being 'the highest ever recorded,' but evidence of Sidis' actual IQ test has been lost to historical upheavals. He enrolled at Harvard University at the age of 11 and as an adult, reportedly mastered over 40 languages and dialects. William James Sidis was born into a Jewish-American family. Both his father, Vladimir Sidis, with a doctoral degree, and his mother, Sarah, a successful medical doctor, were highly educated individuals in society. William himself was named after his paternal grandfather William James, a renowned philosopher in America.

In 1919, shortly after leaving law school, William was arrested for participating in a parade turned riot in the city of Boston. In court, William declared his support for peace and opposition to drafts related to World War I. His parents intervened to keep him out of jail. To evade public scrutiny, they sent William to California under strict supervision. They increased control, monitoring, prohibited him from mingling with strangers, and even threatened to transfer him to a mental institution. In his final days, William was found deceased due to a cerebral hemorrhage in his rented home. He passed away at the age of 46, with only a few cents left in his wallet.

IQ Score: 250

Marnen Laibow-Koser is a musical prodigy with a reported IQ of 258. He is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and computer genius from the New York area. He is a graduate of the Contemporary Improvisation program at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. Like many other graduates in the Boston area, he resides in the nearby city of Somerville. Marnen Laibow-Koser professionally engages in music (performing, composing, and engraving) and web development, as well as various computer-related activities over time (non-web programming, web design, network support).

Laibow-Koser has been studying and playing music since the age of three, and has been composing for nearly as long. In December 2014, he completed a Master of Music degree in Contemporary Improvisation at the New England Conservatory (formerly the Third Stream program) and hopes to begin doctoral studies in 2017. He also studied composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Purchase College, State University of New York. According to Laibow-Koser's website and Facebook page, he currently serves as a ballet accompanist at the Boston Conservatory. Previously, he worked as a Senior Developer at Torchlight and as a lead software engineer at RBM Technologies.

IQ Score: 258

Marilyn was born in 1946 in Missouri (USA), to parents of German and Italian descent. At the age of 10, during an IQ test, her results astonished everyone around her: an IQ of 228 and a mental age of 22 years and 10 months. In contrast, the average adult IQ ranges from 85 to 115. Steve Jobs had an IQ over 160, Elon Musk IQ 155, and Mark Zuckerberg IQ 152. These billionaires all belong to the top 0.1% smartest people in the world.

For Marilyn vos Savant, IQ is just a measure of brain capacity, while how people use it is another matter entirely. Marilyn vos Savant was recognized by Guinness as the person with the highest IQ on the planet, but as she grew up, she chose to live a life very different from what people imagined. Marilyn vos Savant, the woman with the highest IQ in 1988, was criticized for living a less glamorous life, stating: 'I only use about 10% of my brain, and that's normal.' In an interview, she shared that IQ is merely a measure of brain capacity, while how it is used, and how much, is a different matter. Marilyn believes that people, including herself, only use about 10% of their brain, and that's normal.

IQ Score: 228

Nikola Tesla (10/7/1856 - 7/1/1943) was an inventor, electrical engineer, and mechanical engineer of Serbian descent. He was a futurist and is regarded as one of the most innovative and eccentric scientists in history. All of his designs - about 300 of which were patented - were aimed at the future, which is why he is called the 'inventor of the 20th century'. The numbers 3, 6, 9 are closely associated with the life of genius Nikola Tesla because he believed they were the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe. 'If you only knew the magnificence of 3, 6, 9, then you would have the key to the universe,' Tesla emphasized.

No one can assert whether that theory is true or false, but one thing is certain: he was truly obsessed with numbers. So what do 3, 6, 9 mean and why did Tesla consider them so important? Tesla's 3, 6, 9 theory is still alive today. For example, on the TikTok social media platform, some users try to achieve their dreams by writing what they want 3 times in the morning, 6 times in the afternoon, and 9 times in the evening. This may be far from what Tesla imagined the significance of the three numbers to be, but it is evidence that his ideas have not faded over time.

IQ Score: 235

Terence 'Terry' Tao (born July 17, 1975) is a mathematician of Australian-American-Chinese descent specializing in harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, combinatorial theory, analytic number theory, and representation theory. In every field, he has made groundbreaking innovations and significant contributions. Many mathematicians agree that he is the most outstanding mathematician of our time. Terence Tao is an amiable, humble mathematician who enjoys working with colleagues. He is deeply committed to teaching and promoting mathematics to the public and leads a normal life, without the eccentricities often associated with other prodigies or geniuses.

Terence was educated in a flexible manner, depending on his abilities and interests. Some subjects he followed along with his peers, some were arranged at a higher level, especially mathematics, which he studied two or three grades ahead. His educators created an environment where his abilities could flourish, without constraint, coercion, or pressure. They aimed for balanced development, fostering his love for the subject and encouraging collaborative work with those around him.

In the history of mathematics to date, Terence Tao holds numerous records: the highest recorded IQ of 230, surpassing even Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking; the youngest participant in the International Mathematical Olympiad (for high school students) and also the youngest contestant to consecutively win bronze, silver, and gold medals for three years running at ages 10, 11, and 12; the most decorated and honored living mathematician, with the most national and international awards and honors to date; a mathematician with wide-ranging activities across multiple fields, contributing significantly in each.

IQ Score: 220

Christopher Michael Hirata (born November 30, 1982) is an American astrophysicist and astronomer. Hirata won the gold medal in the International Physics Olympiad in 1996 at the age of 13. He received his Bachelor of Science in Physics from Caltech in 2001, at the age of 18. He earned his Ph.D. under the supervision of Uroš Seljak in 2005 from Princeton University in Astrophysics (dissertation: 'Weak Gravitational Lensing Theory and Data Analysis'). From 2005 to 2007, he was a postdoctoral scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study.

From 2006 to 2012, he was an assistant professor and later a tenured professor at Caltech before moving to Ohio State University the following academic year with the same capacity. He is currently a professor at the Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP) at OSU. Currently, Christopher Hirata teaches Astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope proposed by NASA (formerly known as the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope).

IQ Score: 225

Adragon De Mello (born October 5, 1976) graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in computer mathematics in 1988, at the age of 11. At that time, he was the youngest college graduate in U.S. history, a record broken in 1994 by Micheal Kearney.

Adragon is the only child of Cathy Gunn and Agustin Eastwood De Mello (1929–2003). His father set the goal that his son would win the Nobel Prize at the age of 16, and he pushed his son to study mathematics and other academic subjects obsessively from a young age. For example, when doing math homework, his father made him solve an equation five times, even if he got the right answer on the first try. In 1981, Adragon was admitted to Mensa. He was also a member of Intertel, another organization for highly intelligent individuals.

IQ Score: 215

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (August 28, 1749 – March 22, 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, writer, scientist, and painter. He is considered one of the literary geniuses in world literature. Most of his works stand the test of time, including the poetic drama Faust in 2 parts, which is one of the pinnacles of world literature. Some of his famous literary works include Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther...

Goethe's life companion – Christiane Vulpius, was 16 years his junior. They had a child a year after meeting. However, Goethe and Christiane did not marry until 1806, and they only lived together as husband and wife for 10 years. Not only one of the greatest poets, Johann Goethe also wrote plays, prose, practiced law, was a scientist, painter... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe passed away on March 22, 1832. Until the end of his life, he remained a passionate writer. His significant contributions to world literature hold profound human values and will always be a powerful inspiration for literature enthusiasts in the future.

IQ Score: 218

12. Edith Stern

The smartest woman of all time: With an IQ score over 200, not only is it genetic but it also comes from the special way of parenting by her father. Edith Stern - the IBM inventor entered college at the age of 12 and earned a Ph.D. at 18. Edith Stern is best known for her position as an inventor at IBM Corporation. She was one of the early pillars that built the success of this giant computer technology empire and once held the position of Vice President of Research and Development. To date, the talented woman has about 128 patents.

Some of her most influential inventions include: integrating the Internet with phones; allowing phones to directly dial and control 18-wheeler trucks via tablets,... Edith had the honor of winning the prestigious American Emmy Engineering Award in 2005. In 2012, she was awarded the Kate Gleason Prize by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In 2013, the genius woman was awarded the Talon Prize by the University of the Atlantic West. In the early 1970s, she joined IBM as an intern and has been associated with the company for almost her entire youth. Edith Stern is a key researcher, inventor in the field of mobile phone technology at IBM Corporation.

IQ Score: 203

13. William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (birthdate not confirmed, but traditionally recorded as April 23, 1564, St. George's Day; died on April 23, 1616, according to the Julian calendar or May 3, 1616, according to the Gregorian calendar) was an English playwright and poet, regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the pre-eminent dramatist.[1] He is also honored as the national poet of England and the 'Bard of Avon' (Avon being the river near Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon).[2] His works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

In 1612, Shakespeare left the capital city of London and returned to his hometown after years of pursuing his career in playwriting and stage activities. He may have observed the decline of the English theater into aristocratic avenues, and with the wealth accumulated over the years, he could afford to buy a house in his hometown village, where he spent his final years. On March 25, 1616, Shakespeare completed his will, his health was not good, and he passed away a month later. Today, in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, his birthplace, the Royal Shakespeare Company is established, and the house where he lived has now become the Shakespeare Museum, as a tribute to the life and career of this great playwright.

IQ Score: 210

14. Hugo Grotius

Hugo Grotius (April 10, 1583 – August 28, 1645) was a Dutch jurist. Alongside Alberico Gentili and Francisco de Vitoria, he laid the groundwork for international law based on Natural Law. A prodigious intellect from his youth, due to involvement in disputes within the Calvinist faction of the Dutch Republic, he was imprisoned and later escaped by hiding among a book shipment. He wrote most of his major works while in exile in France.

Remembered for significant philosophical contributions to international legal doctrine, Grotius penned the famous Mare Liberum theory in 1609. Also a theologian, he was a key figure in the 17th-century Protestant debate over Arminian principles versus Calvinism. In 1625, he authored a famous three-part legal treatise titled De Jure Belli ac Pacis Libri Tres (On the Law of War and Peace: Three Books).

IQ Score: 201

Leonardo da Vinci (born on April 15, 1452 - in Anchiano, Italy, died on May 2, 1519 in Amboise, France), born Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci,[nb 2] was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, doctor, engineer, anatomist, inventor, and Italian natural philosopher. He is considered the most versatile genius in human history. He authored famous paintings like Mona Lisa, The Last Supper.

He had ideas ahead of his time, especially concepts of helicopters, tanks, parachutes, solar power, computers, drafting theories of terrain creation, double-hulled ships, and many other inventions. Some of his designs were realized and feasible during his lifetime. The application of science in metal processing and engineering in the Renaissance is still in its infancy. Additionally, he made significant contributions to knowledge and understanding in anatomy, astronomy, civil engineering, optics, and hydraulic research. Few products left in his lifetime, only a few paintings, along with several notebooks (scattered in various collections of his works), contain sketches, illustrations of science, and notes.

IQ Score: 202