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50 Smartest Persons In The World

The accomplishments of famous people and the reasons for their popularity

By Falak ShoukatPublished 2 years ago 15 min read
50 Smartest Persons In The World
Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

WHO IS THE WORLD'S SMARTEST PERSON? There are undoubtedly a lot of deserving candidates. Today, the word "Einstein" itself denotes genius. Stephen Hawking may be mentioned by others. Those who enjoy both literature and music can choose Ludwig van Beethoven or William Shakespeare. Benjamin Franklin may be suggested by historians.

What is meant by the term "smart"?

Before I provide my own recommendation, let's first define what clever even means. The terms clever and intelligent are frequently used interchangeably in everyday speech, however they may not always mean the same thing.

The concept of intelligence is a topic of continuing discussion among psychologists, neuroscientists, and specialists in artificial intelligence, but for the sake of this discussion, a straightforward dictionary definition will do. Ability to grasp truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.; ability for learning, thinking, understanding, and related mental activities.

General knowledge is implied in this definition of intelligence. If a person is utterly uninformed, even one who is clever and capable of grasping quantum physics, is of no service to society. So, a highly intelligent individual will be well-versed in a variety of subjects. He ought to be multi-talented, in other terms.

The aspect of inventiveness comes last. Most individuals don't think in the same manner that creative people do. A creative individual sees an opportunity where society perceives a dead end.

1. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The poet, author, dramatist, politician, and diplomat from Germany. The Sorrows of Young Werther, Sturm und Drang, and Faust are among his best-known literary masterpieces. Goethe was active in scientific studies, particularly in the sphere of natural science, despite being best known as a literary genius. He possessed a sizable collection of minerals as a result of his thorough geological studies.

These individuals may seem exceptional and uncommon, but genius is more common than we think. Everyone is a genius, according to Einstein, but a fish will spend its entire existence believing it is stupid if you assess it by how well it can scale a tree.

2. Leonardo Da Vinci

The Renaissance guy of Italy. His brilliance cut across both science and the arts. Da Vinci was not just a very gifted painter; he is well known for his Mona Lisa. He was also a geologist, cartographer, writer, sculptor, architect, engineer, inventor, mathematician, and inventor. He was the definition of a Renaissance man, sharing his vast knowledge with the world to better a lot of humanity.

3. Isaac Newton

The mathematician and physicist from England. He is credited with creating a large portion of calculus, the foundation for modern engineering marvels. One of the most important scientific works of all time, his Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy ushered in the period of enlightenment and the development of modern technology in Europe.

4. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz

the mathematician and philosopher from Germany. His ideas, including the Law of Continuity and Transcendental Law of Homogeneity, are credited as having helped calculus grow independently of Newton. He was also a prolific innovator in the field of mechanical calculators, enabling non-genius people like us to use this tool to solve challenging mathematical problems.

5. John Stuart Mill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR-j7xSVxM0

A political economist and philosopher from England. He is best recognized for his significant contributions to liberalism, which emphasizes individual liberty as opposed to unrestricted government control of the economy. Mill's method is still frequently employed today to conclude by induction, a strategy that both scientists and attorneys have utilized to strengthen their cases.

6. Galileo Galilei

The Italian mathematician, philosopher, and physicist. The telescope is the gift he is most famous for. But compared to his many other significant scientific accomplishments, which include the discovery of planetary objects like Callisto, the Galilean moons, Europa, Ganymede, and Io, that is but a drop in the bucket. He was also in the crosshairs of the Inquisition during his time for demonstrating via actual observation the heliocentrism nature of the solar system—the sun is at the center and the planets rotate around it.

7. Rene Descartes

The author, mathematician, and philosopher from France. Because of his publications, he is referred to be the Father of Modern Philosophy. Notably, universities all around the world still use the Meditations on First Philosophy as a standard reference. He is also well known for his contributions to mathematics, particularly the creation of the Cartesian coordinate system and the link between algebra and geometry that allowed for the development of calculus.

8. Desiderius Erasmus

A Dutch theologian, social critic, and humanist. During the Reformation, when Catholics and Protestants were at odds with one another, he was a fervent supporter of religious tolerance. He created a fresh batch of Latin and Greek New Testament editions using humanist methods, which would later become important works during this turbulent period. Erasmus remained a practicing Catholic despite being critical of the Church because he thought internal reform within the Catholic hierarchy could take place without the need for the emergence of a new religion.

9. Michelangelo

Another Italian Renaissance man, Michelangelo, a sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer, is linked to the French philosopher. renowned for producing works of art such as David, Pieta, the Sistine Chapel, The Last Judgment, and The Creation of Adam. Given his contributions to High Renaissance art, many experts have even asserted that he is the greatest artist of all time. While this claim is purely subjective, it is not without merit.

10. Baruch Spinoza

Dutch philosopher He was one of the pioneers in establishing the Enlightenment era, during which science questioned the Church's authority. The Ethics, Spinoza's landmark work that questions the reliability of the Hebrew Bible, was a driving force behind the age's significant advancements in science, politics, and economics.

11. Michael Faraday

The scientist from England with minimal formal schooling. His contributions made electrochemistry and electromagnetic, the forerunners of today's high technology, more sophisticated fields. Many scientific concepts, including Faraday's law of induction, the Faraday effect, the Faraday cage, the Faraday paradox, the Faraday wheel, and the Faraday wave, are named after him as a testament to his brilliance. Later developments in electricity and current would be made feasible by his study.

12. Raphael

The Italian contemporary of Da Vinci and Michelangelo, yet another Renaissance artist, made our list. The third of the three great masters of the High Renaissance, Raphael was a painter and an architect. The Mond Crucifixion, the Deposition of Christ, and the Transfiguration are some of his most well-known creations.

13. Charles Dickens

The social commentator and writer in English. He is renowned for his literary works, which include David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and Great Expectations. Additionally, he is revered as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, when England dominated the fields of literature, science, trade, and the military.

14. James Maxwell

Scottish math physicist James Maxwell was a pioneer in his field. The classical theory of electromagnetic radiation is what made him most famous. When asked if Isaac Newton was his inspiration for his achievement, Einstein responded, "No, I stand on Maxwell's shoulders."

15. Nicolaus Copernicus

Polish-born Copernicus was a mathematician and astronomer. He was the one who found that the sun, not the Earth, was the center of our solar system.

16. William Sidis

The American child prodigy William Sidis served as the basis for the Good Will Hunting movie. He was accepted to Harvard when he was 9 years old with IQs ranging from 200 to 300. But because of his age, the Ivy League school would not admit him. He attended Tufts University up to the age of 11 when Harvard eventually granted him admission.

17. Carl Gauss

One of the best German mathematicians of the 19th century was Carl Gauss, a child prodigy. He went on to make contributions to the number theory disciplines of algebra, statistics, and analysis while having an IQ between 250 and 300.

18. Nikola Tesla

The luxury vehicle manufacturer may come to mind when you hear the word "Tesla." However, Nikola Tesla was among the most intelligent humans to have ever lived. Tesla was born in the midst of a lightning storm in 1856, and his IQ ranged from 160 to 310. He is credited with creating the Tesla coil and alternating current equipment.

19. Voltaire

The IQ range for Francois Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, was between 190 and 200. He was a famous French writer and philosopher who was born in 1694. He was well-known for his satire and criticism of his nation's upper-class nobility.

20. Christopher Hirata

Christopher Hirata, who has an IQ of 225, attracted attention when he won the 1996 International Physics Olympiad at the age of 14. He began working with NASA when he was 16 and was doing research on Mars colonization.

21. Terence Tao

Terence Tao, a former child math prodigy who currently teaches at UCLA, is frequently referred to as "the Mozart of Math." His IQ ranges between 211 and 230. He has gained recognition for his contributions to harmonic analysis and number theory. According to The Los Angeles Times, he received $3 million for winning the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics.

22. Hypatia

The finest mathematician and astronomer in 4th-century Greece was Hypatia of Alexandria, who was also a philosopher. Her IQ is thought to be between 170 and 210.

23. Hugo Grotius

The 17th-century Dutch jurist and scholar Hugo Grotius was considered to have had an IQ of 200. Awarded the position of attorney general for Holland, Zeeland, and West Friesland in 1607, Grotius is most renowned for his contributions to international law.

24. Marie Curie

Marie Curie's work on radioactivity, which significantly advanced the use of x-rays in surgery, is perhaps best recognised for her. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize and the first to do so twice in both physics and chemistry. Her IQ ranges from 180 to 200.

25. Kim Ung-Yong

Kim Ung-Yong began taking university courses at the age of 3. He could speak four languages by the time he was four years old. When he was just 8 years old, NASA offered him to study in the US because to his IQ score, which was between 200 and 210.

26. Dylan Jones

At the age of 16, Dylan Jones earned a math and computer science degree from the Colorado School of Mines. He enrolled in the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine a year later and is now pursuing a career as a neurosurgeon there.

27. Michael Grost

When Michael Grost began attending Michigan State University in 1964, he was just 10 years old. He later received his doctorate in mathematics at the age of 23, and his IQ was 200. He worked as a system architect for a Detroit-based computer firm as of 2005.

28. Michael Kearney

By the time he was 22 years old, Michael Kearney had earned four bachelor's degrees and a PhD. When he was only 10, he received his first one from the University of South Alabama.

29. Ainan Cawley

By the time he was nine years old, Ainan Cawley could memorise Pi to the 518th decimal place. He presented a science presentation on acid and alkaloids when he was six years old. He passed the Chemistry O level exam when he was 7 years old (specifically made for 16-year-olds). He enrolled in the Singapore Polytechnic on his eighth birthday.

30. Nathan Leopold

Nathan Leopold was a Chicago native who made his spoken debut at the age of four. However, in 192, he and his companion Richard Loeb killed a 14-year-old kid while attempting to perform "the ideal crime." The Rope movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock was inspired by Leopold and Loeb's deeds.

31. Marilyn vos Savant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOQowCeAnRs

Marilyn vos Savant, a college dropout, attracted much notice when, in 1985, her estimated IQ of 228 was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records. She is also well-known for her column in Parade magazine, where she attracted notoriety for figuring out the solution to the renowned mathematical Monty Hall puzzle.

32. Christopher Langan

Esquire named Christopher Langan the "smartest man in America" with an IQ range of 174 to 210. He has spent the majority of his adult life creating a Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe despite being largely self-taught.

33. Rudolf Clausius

The second law of thermodynamics was developed by German physicist and mathematician Rudolf Clausius, who is most known for this work. He was among the first scientists to postulate that molecules are composed of constantly exchanging atoms, according to estimates of his IQ being between 190 and 205.

34. Leonhard Euler

Leonhard Euler was a Swiss mathematician and physicist who was born in 1707. He was one of the founders of pure mathematics and created the study of integral calculus. His estimated IQ ranges from 180 to 200.

35. William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare, sometimes known as the "Bard of Avon," is largely considered as the greatest English-speaking author and dramatist who has ever lived. His works like Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Midsummer Night's Dream are still read and studied today.

36. Ettore Majorana

Ettore Majorana, an Italian theoretical physicist whose IQ ranged from 183 to 200, examined neutrino masses, which are electrically neutral subatomic particles produced in nuclear processes. He was hired as a professor at the University of Naples before inexplicably vanishing on a boat trip and going missing.

37. Thomas Wolsey

Thomas Wolsey was an English cardinal and statesman during the 16th century. He was Henry VIII's lord chancellor and arranged the first meeting between Francis I, King of France, and the King of England. His estimated IQ was 200.

38. Edith Stern

Edith Stern had read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica by the time she was five years old. She was in college by the time she was 12, and by the time she was 15, she was teaching college-level math classes. She had an IQ of 203. She has been employed by IBM since the 1970s and has won numerous awards for her numerous contributions to applied mathematics. Edith Stern had read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica by the time she was five years old. She was in college by the time she was 12, and by the time she was 15, she was teaching college-level math classes. She had an IQ of 203. She has been employed by IBM since the 1970s and has won numerous awards for her numerous contributions to applied mathematics.

39. Sho Yano

Sho Yano entered Loyola University when she was just 9 years old and received her summa cum laude diploma three years later. Yano, who has an IQ of 200, enrolled in the prestigious Pritzker School of Medicine at the age of 12, and at the age of 21, she became the institution's youngest student to ever get an MD.

40. Francis Galton

Sir Francis Galton, who is thought to have had an IQ of 200, is most renowned for his studies on eugenics and human intelligence. The present weather map and the use of fingerprints in police operations are further innovations attributed to him.

41. Nadia Camukova

Nadia Camukova, a 1976 Moscow baby, scored a 200 on an IQ test. Later, the Moscow-based Brain Research Institute declared that she had the highest IQ ever. She is fluent in eight Turkish dialects and seven other languages. She is currently a lecturer at Turkey's Bahçeşehir University.

42. Marnen Laibow-Koser

Marnen Laibow-Koser received an estimated IQ of 268 after passing a childhood IQ test. He graduated from the New England Conservatory and is currently a composer and online application developer.

43. Paul Allen

According to reports, billionaire Paul Allen has an IQ between 160 and 170. Bill Gates and Allen became friends while they were both still in school. Allen was born in Seattle in 1953. Prior to convincing Gates to leave Harvard, he attended Washington State University but dropped out in 1974. The couple established Microsoft in New Mexico the next year.

Allen withdrew from Microsoft and eventually quit in 2000, though he continued in an advising role, after learning that he had Hodgkin's disease in 1982. He is a well-known philanthropist who has given more than $1.5 billion to the arts, sciences, education, conservation, and technology.

Along with holding stock in a number of technology, media, and other businesses, Allen also owns the Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trailblazers, and a portion of the Seattle Sounders of the Major League Soccer. In 2003, he established the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and in 2011, he founded the space transportation business Stratolaunch Systems.

44. Judit Polgár

Judit Polgár, who was born in 1976 in Budapest, Hungary, is widely regarded as the greatest female chess player in history. When she was just 11 years old, chess prodigy Polgár defeated her first grandmaster. She is now the only female player in the Top 100 Players of the World Chess Federation. Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov are among the nine world champions she has defeated.

Bobby Fischer's previous record was surpassed by one month in 1991 when 15 years and five months old Polgár won the Hungarian National Championship and was crowned the nation's youngest grandmaster. Polgár's father apparently nurtured her and her sisters in a way that was intended to demonstrate the idea that "geniuses are formed, not born." And possibly Polgár was onto something, given his reported IQ of 170 and notable accomplishments.

45. John H. Sununu

John H. Sununu is another person who has demonstrated that they meet the requirements for admission to the Mega Society high IQ club, with a stated IQ of 180.

Sununu, who was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1939, attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study mechanical engineering, earning his bachelor's in 1961, master's in 1963, and doctorate in 1966. After earning his degree, Sununu worked as a professor at Tufts University in Massachusetts until 1968, when he was named the institution's associate dean of engineering. He held this position until 1973.

Sununu presided over New Hampshire from 1983 to 1989 as its governor, then in 1989 he was appointed White House Chief of Staff. However, charges that Sununu had exploited his access to government travel led to his resignation in 1991.

46. Neil deGrasse Tyson

High-profile American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is also the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History.

Tyson, who was born in New York in 1958, has always been fascinated by astronomy. He received his bachelor's in physics from Harvard in 1980 before moving on to do his master's in astronomy at the University of Texas in 1983.

After that, he moved to Columbia, where he earned his Ph.D. and M.Phil. in astrophysics in 1990 and 1989, respectively. Tyson rose to fame in popular culture by hosting the educational PBS programmed NOVA Science Now from 2006 to 2011. He has also made a number of guest appearances on television. Asteroid 1994KA was renamed 13123 Tyson in his honor in 2001. He has also been honored with the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal.

47. Garry Kasparov

When Kasparov played to a draw in 2003 against a chess machine that could analyse three million positions per second, he completely astounded the world. Grandmaster at the game of chess from Russia. He defeated the incumbent champion Anatoly Karpov at the age of 22, becoming the youngest indisputable world champion.

48. Mislav Predavec Philip Emeagwali

Mislav Predavec, a math professor from Croatia, was listed as the seventh most intellectual person in the world. He established the GenerIQ Society and serves as its president. an exclusive group of the world's smartest individuals. He also serves as the company's owner and director.

49. Philip Emeagwali

He is an engineer, mathematician, computer scientist, and geologist who was born in Nigeria. He was one of two recipients of the IEEE's 1989 Gordon Bell Prize for using a Connection Machine supercomputer to assist find oil resources.

50. Dr. Evangelos Katsioulis

His outstanding test results for intellect are well known. Greek national Dr. Evangelos Katsioulis practises medicine and is a psychiatrist. He holds degrees in psychopharmacology, medical research technology, and philosophy. He is the creator of the World Intelligence Network (WIN), a global association of cultures with high IQs. Additionally, he discovered AAAA.GR, a pioneering volunteer team for the identification and assistance of brilliant people in Greece. Katsioulis is also a competent swimmer and a skilled painter.

Conclusion

The most intelligent individuals are aware that there is always more to learn. typically, conscious of everything they don't know. Their opinions are also less solid and more educated. Some of the smartest persons on earth are those who are mentioned above. They are all recognized as the world's smartest individuals.

Historical

About the Creator

Falak Shoukat

A Content Writer here:)

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