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The Nobel Prize stands as one of the highest honors a person can achieve in their lifetime. When we think of Nobel laureates, we often picture the brightest minds in their fields, typically those with years of formal education. However, some of these extraordinary individuals left school before finishing their degrees! Here’s a list of 10 Nobel Prize winners who, surprisingly, dropped out of high school.
10. Joseph Brodsky
Joseph Brodsky, one of the world’s most celebrated poets, was born on May 24, 1940, in Leningrad. At just 15 years old, he dropped out of school and held various jobs. During this time, he self-taught himself Polish and English, and started writing poetry. Brodsky also had the privilege of studying under the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova before being exiled from the Soviet Union in 1972.
After relocating to the United States, Brodsky published nine poetry collections. He became a professor at both Columbia University and Mount Holyoke College. In 1987, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Brodsky later co-founded the American Poetry & Literacy Project with Andrew Carroll. On January 28, 1996, he tragically passed away following a heart attack.
9. Arthur Henderson
Arthur Henderson was born on September 13, 1863, in Glasgow, Scotland. After his father passed away, his family fell into poverty, forcing him to leave school. Following his mother’s remarriage, he briefly returned to school for three years before dropping out once more.
Henderson gained knowledge through his apprenticeship at a foundry and by reading newspapers. At 18, he joined the Ironfounders’ Union and quickly rose to the position of secretary of the Newcastle lodge. His political career in Britain began in 1892.
Henderson played a pivotal role in cofounding the Labor Party in 1906 and served as its secretary for an impressive 23 years. He was appointed as the foreign secretary in 1929 and earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934.
8. Leon Jouhaux
Leon Jouhaux was born on July 1, 1879, in Paris. His father worked at a match factory, but a strike led to a loss of income, causing Leon to leave school. He briefly attended another institution before dropping out once again to help his family financially.
Jouhaux initially worked at the match factory and later joined the army. However, he was recalled to the factory after his father went blind due to prolonged exposure to white phosphorus in his work.
Jouhaux took part in his first strike and was initially dismissed, but was later reinstated. He went on to become the secretary-general of his local union, the CGT, and traveled the world delivering speeches, advocating for labor unions to join forces for the cause of peace. He eventually became the vice president of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
In 1949, Jouhaux assumed the role of president of the European Movement. Despite being arrested in December 1941 after France's fall, he was freed 25 months later. In 1951, he was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize.
7. Harry Martinson
Harry Edmund Martinson was born in 1904 in Jamshog, Sweden. He became an orphan at a young age after both of his parents passed away. At 16, he ran away from the institution where he was placed and embarked on a life at sea. Over the course of six years, he worked aboard several ships and in various foreign countries.
Martinson drew from his life experiences and the people he encountered to fuel his literary works. The themes of his writing often stem from his difficult childhood. His works express his deep love for and concern about nature, along with his fascination with science. Martinson was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1974, sharing the honor with Eyvind Johnson.
6. George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was born on July 26, 1856, in Dublin. He received his early education from his clerical uncle before attending a number of local schools. However, due to his distaste for formal education, Shaw dropped out and began working at the age of 15.
In 1876, Shaw relocated to London to pursue a writing career. After struggling for a decade to get his work published, he had to rely on his mother and sister for financial support. Eventually, Shaw became interested in socialism and joined the Fabian Society.
Shaw’s early writings primarily focused on social issues, gaining attention for their comedic undertones. In 1925, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Thirteen years later, he earned an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film version of his play Pygmalion.
5. Herbert C. Brown
Herbert Brown was born on May 22, 1912, in London. His family relocated to the United States when he was two years old. Brown was an exceptional student but was forced to leave school after his father’s death. However, after realizing that business wasn’t his calling, he returned to school and eventually attended college to study chemistry.
Unfortunately, the college Brown was attending closed down. He transferred to another college before moving to the University of Chicago, where he earned his doctorate in 1938. Brown later became a research assistant at his alma mater, where he, along with a colleague, succeeded in synthesizing volatile uranium (IV) borohydride and made several other significant discoveries in chemistry.
He continued teaching at various universities and earned an honorary membership with the International Academy of Science. In 1979, Brown shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with George Wittig. He passed away in 2004 after suffering a heart attack.
4. Albert Camus
Albert Camus was born on November 7, 1913, in Algeria. His father died in World War I when Camus was only a few months old. The family relocated to live with his maternal grandmother and paralyzed uncle in a small two-room apartment.
Camus’s works delve into themes of human fragility and the timeless beauty of nature. He earned a scholarship to attend a prestigious high school but had to drop out due to a battle with tuberculosis. Despite this, he moved out on his own, supported himself, and attended the University of Algiers where he studied philosophy.
Camus developed a profound passion for the theater, although his plays remain the most overlooked aspect of his literary legacy. He became a journalist in France and earned recognition as a prominent literary figure. At the age of 44, Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957. Tragically, he passed away in a car accident less than three years later.
3. Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Germany. He was an average student but developed a keen interest in science and mathematics. At the age of 15, Einstein made the decision to leave school. To catch up on his education, he attended a school in Switzerland to complete his A-levels before heading to Zurich for further studies.
After relocating to Bern, Einstein secured a position at the Patent Office while dedicating his spare time to theoretical physics. Eventually, he published several groundbreaking scientific papers, including his work on the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity.
In 1921, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Due to the rising political tensions in Nazi Germany, Einstein moved to the United States. He spent his later years living in seclusion in Princeton, where he passed away in 1955.
2. Jose Saramago
Jose Saramago was born in 1922 in a small town in Portugal. Although he excelled academically, financial difficulties forced him to leave school. He started working as a translator and journalist for Diario de Noticias.
Saramago gained literary recognition in his mid-fifties with the release of his novel Baltasar and Blimunda. A committed Communist, he joined the party in 1969 and identified as an open atheist. Saramago famously rejected proper nouns, making his works unique in that most of his characters are nameless. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988.
1. William Faulkner
Born on September 25, 1897, in Mississippi, William Faulkner grew up with a Southern, middle-class background. He left high school but dedicated himself to self-study, later learning under the guidance of a family friend.
In 1918, Faulkner joined the British military, though he returned home after only a few months. He briefly attended university courses while publishing poems in campus newsletters. He then went on to write numerous novels, immersing himself in almost complete isolation to focus on his craft.
Faulkner became one of the foremost writers of the 20th century, delving into core issues that some critics deemed controversial. In 1949, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
