Buzz
Thanks to the rapid growth of modern technology, anyone has the ability to become their own teacher and master nearly any topic. With just an internet connection, a vast array of knowledge on almost any subject is available. What’s needed is simply the drive to learn.
However, the Internet and formal education are not the only means of acquiring knowledge. Throughout history, some individuals have relied on their life experiences to sharpen their talents and shape their philosophies, for better or worse. These individuals are known as 'autodidacts,' meaning they gained substantial knowledge and expertise without a teacher or formal classroom environment.
At times, we might even wish they hadn't.
10. Leonardo da Vinci - The Renaissance Genius
Famous for his masterpieces like The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci’s influence on 15th-century Europe extended far beyond his talent in the arts. He was instructed in the basics of writing, mathematics, and reading but lacked formal schooling.
Da Vinci later devoted ten years to refining his artistic skills under the guidance of Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. Outside of this mentorship, da Vinci was largely self-taught, creating innovative scientific ideas and designs for inventions that remained confined to his notebooks.
He jotted down numerous ideas that bridged nature and science, most famously his design of a 20-meter (65 ft) mechanical bat. His fascination with anatomy led to the creation of a drawing of a flying machine inspired by a bat.
As Sigmund Freud once remarked about da Vinci, he was 'like a man who awoke too early in the darkness, while the others were all still asleep.'
9. Frank Bender - The Recreator of Faces
Frank Bender, known as the self-styled 'recreator of the decomposed,' used his artistic skills to combat crime. With no formal training, he emerged as a leading forensic sculptor in the late 20th century. His eerily realistic face sculptures contributed to solving numerous cold cases.
Before finding his true calling, Bender served in the navy and worked as a commercial photographer. He had the remarkable ability to sculpt clay faces from just a fractured skull. His most famous case involved sculpting the face of a notorious murderer, John List, which directly led to his capture.
What set Bender apart was not just his intuition and near-psychic understanding of victims and their traits, but also his unwavering optimism and dedication to helping others. He passed away from pleural mesothelioma in 2011.
8. H.P. Lovecraft - The Recluse of Horror
H.P. Lovecraft’s groundbreaking and haunting works revolutionized the horror genre. His life was marked by solitude and prejudice, which prevented him from gaining recognition during his lifetime. His true legacy emerged long after his death.
Both of Lovecraft’s parents struggled with mental health issues, which led to their confinement in the same asylum. This tragic reality likely mirrored the delusions present in Lovecraft’s own life. His stories had a profound impact on many works by Robert Bloch, such as Psycho (1959).
Lovecraft died in 1937 at the age of 46, impoverished. While he could never escape his grim outlook on life, his influence lived on, inspiring the emergence of new literary subgenres like 'cosmic horror' and the works of legendary figures such as Stephen King and Guillermo del Toro.
7. Julian Assange - The Whistleblower
Julian Assange stands as a prime example of a modern autodidact. His name and the events surrounding his life over the past decade are widely recognized. For those unfamiliar, he is the founder of WikiLeaks and possesses advanced skills in hacking and computer programming.
Assange is credited with exposing emails from the DNC, footage of war crimes, and other confidential documents. While some view him as an attention-seeking criminal, others celebrate him for shedding light on the dark truths of the U.S. government.
Born and raised in Queensland, Australia, Assange spent much of his childhood on the move with his mother and stepfather, attending 37 different schools. At the age of 16, after receiving his first computer from his mother, he began hacking and programming. His aptitude for mathematics and high IQ contributed to his skills. He briefly attended the University of Melbourne but never completed his degree.
6. Adolf Hitler - The Racist
Known globally as the tyrannical leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler’s extreme form of nationalism led to the genocide of six million Jews. His quest to eliminate Jews was a major catalyst for World War II.
While many are familiar with Hitler’s military feats, Mein Kampf, and his rise to power, his early years were unexpectedly unremarkable. By the time he turned 18, he had dropped out of school, lost both of his parents, and moved from one orphanage to the next.
At first, Hitler showed a strong interest in painting, but he faced rejection twice from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. His failed attempts at becoming an artist may have fueled his growing ethnocentric views. In Vienna, he was influenced by two prominent anti-Semitic political figures, Mayor Karl Lueger and politician Georg von Schonerer.
As Hitler ascended to military and political power, his racist ideologies continued to evolve, eventually leading him to dictatorship.
5. Granville Woods - The Black Edison
Granville Woods may not have achieved the widespread fame of inventors like Alexander Graham Bell or Thomas Edison, but his innovations in the railroad industry during the 19th century had a profound industrial impact.
Born in 1856 in Columbus, Ohio, Woods developed an early fascination with mechanics. However, he left school to help support his family. His various roles within the railroad industry enhanced his expertise and led to important inventions, including the 'troller' and the 'induction telegraph.'
Despite having little formal education, Woods earned 60 patents, founded a company, and invented critical telecommunications and railroad machinery that greatly improved transportation safety.
4. Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. - The Great Impostor
Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr., a notorious criminal, spent much of his life adopting false identities. At 16, he ran away from home and joined a monastery. However, Demara believed he had a greater destiny and spent the next several decades living as different people.
Among his many assumed roles were that of a religious psychologist, military soldier, and law student. However, his most captivating impersonation was as Dr. Joseph Cyr, a medical surgeon in the Canadian Royal Navy. While serving aboard a Canadian destroyer during the Korean War, Demara successfully performed life-saving procedures on over a dozen men.
This elaborate deception was enabled by Demara’s presumed high IQ and photographic memory. Over the course of the 1940s and ’50s, he continued to adopt various identities, even serving time in jail. His life story was portrayed by Tony Curtis in the 1961 film about his exploits.
3. Harry S. Truman - The Haberdasher
Born on May 8, 1884, Harry S. Truman grew up in the rural countryside of Missouri. After finishing high school, instead of attending college, he worked various jobs and helped his father on their farm.
Truman later joined the National Guard at the age of 33, distinguishing himself as a leader in the Meuse-Argonne campaign and gaining important allies who would propel him into politics later in life.
After returning home, he married and opened a hat shop, which unfortunately went bankrupt. Despite this setback, Truman’s growing reputation allowed him to venture into politics, first becoming a county judge, then a US Senator, and eventually serving as Vice President under Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
After Roosevelt’s death, Truman brought an end to World War II by ordering the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Among his other significant presidential achievements was his role in the reconstruction of post-World War II Europe and his efforts to desegregate the US military. He remains the only president of the 20th century to assume office without having a college degree.
2. Booker T. Washington - The Wizard of Tuskegee
A towering figure in late 19th-century African American history, Booker T. Washington played a pivotal role in empowering the black community during the era of Jim Crow, employing methods that sparked controversy. Born on a slave plantation to a white father and a black mother, Washington was exposed to both racial realities.
Though he worked on the plantation in his youth, Washington also pursued an education at Hampton Institute. His background shaped his belief in the importance of economic independence, and his life's mission was to teach African Americans self-reliance and uplift them from historical disenfranchisement.
Washington's views sparked strong opposition, particularly from W.E.B. Du Bois. Throughout his life, Washington held the position of black adviser to Theodore Roosevelt and founded the Tuskegee Institute, an institution dedicated to educating African Americans to become educators themselves.
1. Kato Lomb - The Polyglot
Kato Lomb's remarkable ability to master 16 languages over her lifetime can be distilled into one key factor: motivation. She emphasized that anyone can learn a language quickly, provided they overcome the limitations of self-doubt and lack of drive.
Hailing from 20th-century Hungary, Lomb received a solid education. Despite earning a PhD in chemistry and physics, she candidly admitted that she did not possess any inherent talent for learning languages.
It was not until she reached her mid-twenties that she began learning English. Along with English, she went on to master 15 other languages and authored the book Polyglot: How I Learn Languages. Her achievements became a beacon of motivation for adult learners eager to acquire multiple languages.
