10 Extraordinary ChiId Prodigies

Published on (,,zoop under Strcne People - b Grccie Murcno -p,(z tieus

TAGS: Iumous cIIId prodIgIes

Kim Ung-Yong: Attended Lniversity ut uge q, Ph. ut uge 1g; world's
highest IQ

TIIs Koreun super-genIus wus born In 1q6z und mIgIL jusL be LIe smurLesL guy uIIve Loduy (Ie's
recognIzed by LIe GuInness Book oI WorId Records us IuvIng LIe IIgIesL Q oI unyone on LIe
pIuneL). By LIe uge oI Iour Ie wus uIreudy ubIe Lo reud In Jupunese, Koreun, Germun, und EngIIsI. AL
IIs IIILIbIrLIduy, Ie soIved compIIcuLed dIIIerenLIuI und InLegruI cuIcuIus probIems. uLer, on
Jupunese LeIevIsIon, Ie demonsLruLed IIs proIIcIency In CIInese, SpunIsI, VIeLnumese, TuguIog,
Germun, EngIIsI, Jupunese, und Koreun. KIm wus IIsLed In LIe GuInness Book oI WorId
Records under "HIgIesL Q"; LIe book esLImuLed LIe boy's score uL over z1o.

KIm wus u guesL sLudenL oI pIysIcs uL Hunyung UnIversILy Irom LIe uge oI unLII Ie wus 6. AL LIe uge
oI ; Ie wus InvILed Lo AmerIcu by NASA. He IInIsIed IIs unIversILy sLudIes, evenLuuIIy geLLIng u PI.D.
In pIysIcs uL CoIorudo SLuLe UnIversILy beIore Ie wus 1. n 1q;q, durIng IIs unIversILy sLudIes, Ie
begun IIs reseurcI work uL NASA und conLInued LIIs work unLII IIs reLurn Lo Koreu In 1q;8 wIere Ie
decIded Lo swILcI Irom pIysIcs Lo cIvII engIneerIng und evenLuuIIy receIved u docLoruLe In LIuL IIeId.
KIm wus oIIered LIe cIunce Lo sLudy uL LIe mosL presLIgIous unIversILIes In Koreu, buL InsLeud cIose
Lo uLLend u provIncIuI unIversILy. As oI zoo; Ie uIso serves us udjuncL IucuILy uL CIungbuk NuLIonuI
UnIversILy.

70go7 Smith: Nominuted Ior u Nobel Peuce Prize ut uge 1

Born In 1qqo, Gregory SmILI couId reud uL uge Lwo und Iud enroIIed In unIversILy uL 1o. BuL genIus
Is onIy one IuII oI LIe Greg SmILI sLory. WIen noL vorucIousIy IeurnIng, LIIs young mun LruveIs LIe
gIobe us u peuce und cIIIdren`s rIgILs ucLIvIsL.

He Is LIe Iounder oI nLernuLIonuI YouLI AdvocuLes, un orgunIzuLIon LIuL promoLes prIncIpIes oI
peuce und undersLundIng umong young peopIe LIrougIouL LIe worId. He Ius meL wILI BIII
CIInLon und MIkIuII GorbucIev und spoke In IronL oI LIe UN. or LIese und oLIer IumunILurIun und
udvocucy eIIorLs, SmILI Ius been nomInuLed Iour LImes Ior u NobeI Peuce PrIze. HIs IuLesL
ucIIevemenL? He jusL goL IIs drIver IIcense.

7it Josuol: The Seven Yeur-Old Sorgeon

AkrIL JuswuI Is u young ndIun wIo Ius been cuIIed "LIe worId's smurLesL boy" und IL's eusy Lo see
wIy. HIs Q Is 1q6 und Is consIdered LIe smurLesL person IIs uge In ndIu-u counLry oI more LIun u
bIIIIon peopIe.

AkrIL cume Lo pubIIc uLLenLIon wIen In zooo Ie perIormed IIs IIrsL medIcuI procedure uL IIs IumIIy
Iome. He wus seven. HIs puLIenL - u IocuI gIrI wIo couId noL uIIord u docLor - wus eIgIL. Her Iund
Iud been burnL In u IIre, cuusIng Ier IIngers Lo cIose InLo u LIgIL IIsL LIuL wouIdn'L open. AkrIL Iud no
IormuI medIcuI LruInIng und no experIence oI surgery, yeL Ie munuged Lo Iree Ier IIngers und sIe wus
ubIe Lo use Ier Iund uguIn.

He Iocused IIs pIenomenuI InLeIIIgence on medIcIne und uL LIe uge oI LweIve Ie cIuImed Lo be on LIe
verge oI dIscoverIng u cure Ior cuncer. He Is now sLudyIng Ior u scIence degree uL CIundIgurI CoIIege
und Is LIe youngesL sLudenL ever uccepLed by un ndIun UnIversILy.

l0opot7o St7oton: u yeur old singer who eurns 1oooC per song

CIepoLru wus born OcLober 6, zooz In CIIsInuu, MoIdovu und Is LIe duugILer oI MoIdovun-
RomunIun sInger, PuveI SLruLun. SIe Is LIe youngesL person ever Lo score commercIuI success us u
sInger, wILI Ier zoo6 uIbum u vursLu de LreI unI ("AL LIe uge oI "). SIe IoIds LIe record Ior beIng
LIe youngesL urLIsL LIuL perIormed IIve Ior Lwo Iours In IronL oI u Iurge uudIence, LIe IIgIesL puId
young urLIsL, LIe youngesL urLIsL Lo receIve un MTV uwurd und LIe youngesL urLIsL Lo score u #1 IIL In
u counLry ("GIILu" In RomunIun SIngIes CIurL).


0lito nd70: The -yeur-old urtist who showed her puintings in u
Iumoos Gullery

TIe ubsLrucL puInLIngs oI emergIng urLIsL AeIILu Andre Iuve peopIe In AusLruIIu's urL worId LuIkIng.
AeIILu Is Lwo (LIe works were puInLed wIen sIe wus even younger).

AeIILu goL un opporLunILy Lo sIow Ier puInLIngs wIen Murk JumIeson, LIe dIrecLor oI BrunswIck
SLreeL GuIIery In MeIbourne's ILzroy, wus usked by u pIoLogrupIer wIose work Ie represenLed Lo
consIder LIe work oI unoLIer urLIsL. JumIeson IIked wIuL Ie suw und ugreed Lo IncIude IL In u group
sIow.

JumIeson LIen sLurLed Lo promoLe LIe sIow, prInLIng gIossy InvILuLIons und pIucIng uds In LIe
muguzInes ArL AImunuc und ArL CoIIecLor, IeuLurIng LIe ubsLrucL work. OnIy LIen dId Ie dIscover u
crucIuI IucL ubouL LIe new urLIsL: AeIILu Andre Is KuIusInIkovu's duugILer, und wus jusL zz monLIs
oId. JumIeson wus sIocked und emburrussed buL decIded Lo proceed wILI LIe exIIbILIon unywuys.



Soul o7on K7ip0: Invited to upply Ior u teuching post ut Hurvurd while
still in high school

A rubbI's son, SuuI Auron KrIpke wus born In New York und grew up In OmuIu In 1qqo. By uII
uccounLs Ie wus u Lrue prodIgy. n LIe IourLI grude Ie dIscovered uIgebru, und by LIe end oI
grummur scIooI Ie Iud musLered geomeLry und cuIcuIus und Luken up pIIIosopIy. WIIIe sLIII u
Leenuger Ie wroLe u serIes oI pupers LIuL evenLuuIIy LrunsIormed LIe sLudy oI moduI IogIc. One oI
LIem eurned u IeLLer Irom LIe muLI depurLmenL uL Hurvurd, wIIcI Ioped Ie wouId uppIy Ior u job
unLII Ie wroLe buck und decIIned, expIuInIng, "My moLIer suId LIuL sIouId IInIsI IIgI scIooI und go
Lo coIIege IIrsL". AILer IInIsIIng IIgI scIooI, LIe coIIege Ie evenLuuIIy cIose wus Hurvurd.

KrIpke wus uwurded LIe ScIock PrIze, pIIIosopIy's equIvuIenL oI LIe NobeI. Nowuduys, Ie Is LIougIL
Lo be LIe worId's greuLesL IIvIng pIIIosopIer.

icho0l K0;in K0o7n0: eurned his Iirst degree ut uge 1o und becume u
reulity show Millionuire

zq yeur-oId MIcIueI Keurney becume known us LIe worId's youngesL coIIege gruduuLe uL LIe uge oI
1o. n zoo8, Keurney eurned $1,ooo,ooo on LIeLeIevIsIon gume sIow WIo WunLs Lo be u
MIIIIonuIre?

Keurny wus born In 1q8q und Is wus known Ior seLLIng severuI worId records und LeucIIng coIIege uL
LIe uge oI 1;.

He spoke IIs IIrsL words uL Iour monLIs. AL LIe uge oI sIx monLIs, Ie suId Lo IIs pedIuLrIcIun " Iuve u
IeIL eur InIecLIon" und Ieurned Lo reud uL LIe uge oI Len monLIs. WIen MIcIueI wus Iour, Ie wus gIven
dIugnosLIc LesLs Ior LIe JoIns HopkIns precocIous muLI progrum und ucIIeved u perIecL score. He
IInIsIed IIgI scIooI uL uge 6, enroIIed uL SunLu Rosu JunIor CoIIege gruduuLIng uL 1o wILI un
AssocIuLe oI ScIence In GeoIogy. He Is IIsLed In LIe GuInness Book us LIe worId's youngesL unIversILy
gruduuLe uL LIe uge oI 1o, receIvIng u bucIeIor's degree In unLIropoIogy. or u wIIIe, Ie uIso IeId LIe
record Ior LIe worId's youngesL posLgruduuLe.

BuL In zoo6, Ie becume worIdwIde Iumous uILer reucIIng LIe IInuIs on LIe Murk BurneLLJAO
quIzJpuzzIe gume GoId RusI, und becume LIe IIrsL $1 mIIIIon wInner In LIe onIIne reuIILy gume.

obiono Luigi o7uono: u chess prodigy who becume the yoongest
Grundmuster ut uge 1q

ubuIous ubIuno Is u 16-yeur-oId cIess GrundmusLer und cIess prodIgy wILI duuI cILIzensIIp oI LuIy
und LIe UnILed SLuLes.

On zoo; Curuunu becume u GrundmusLer uL LIe uge oI 1q yeurs, 11 monLIs, zo duys - LIe youngesL
GrundmusLer In LIe IIsLory oI boLI LuIy und LIe UnILed SLuLes. n LIe AprII zooq DE IIsL, Ie Ius un
EIo ruLIng oI z6qq, mukIng IIm LIe worId's IIgIesL runked pIuyer under LIe uge oI 18.

illi0 osconi: pluyed proIessionul Billiurds ut uge 6

WIIIIum JosepI MosconI, nIcknumed "Mr. PockeL BIIIIurds" wus u AmerIcun proIessIonuI pockeL
bIIIIurds (pooI) pIuyer Irom PIIIudeIpIIu, PennsyIvunIu. WIIIIe's IuLIer owned u pooI IuII wIere Ie
wusn`L uIIowed Lo pIuy, buL WIIIIe ImprovIsed by prucLIcIng wILI smuII poLuLoes Irom IIs moLIer's
kILcIen und un oId broomsLIck. HIs IuLIer soon reuIIzed LIuL IIs son wus u cIIId prodIgy
begun udverLIsIng cIuIIenge muLcIes, und LIougI WIIIIe Iud Lo sLund on u box In order Lo reucI LIe
LubIe, Ie beuL experIenced pIuyers muny yeurs IIs senIor.

n 1q1q, un exIIbILIon muLcI wus urrunged beLween sIx-yeur oId WIIIIe und LIe reIgnIng WorId
CIumpIon, RuIpI GreenIeuI. TIe IuII wus pucked, und LIougI GreenIeuI won LIuL muLcI, WIIIIe
pIuyed very weII IuuncIIng IIs cureer In proIessIonuI bIIIIurds. n 1qzq, uL LIe Lender uge oI eIeven,
WIIIIe wus LIe juvenIIe sLruIgIL pooI cIumpIon und wus reguIurIy IoIdIng LrIck sIoL exIIbILIons.

BeLween LIe yeurs oI 1qq1 und 1q;, Ie won LIe BCA WorId CIumpIonsIIp oI pooI un unmuLcIed
IIILeen LImes. MosconI pIoneered und empIoyed numerous LrIck sIoLs, seL muny records, und IeIped
Lo popuIurIze LIe gume oI bIIIIurds. He sLIII IoIds LIe oIIIcIuIIy recognIzed sLruIgIL pooI IIgI run
record oI z6 consecuLIve buIIs.

loino Smith: yoongest ugony uont uged ,

Her IocuI rudIo sLuLIon guve Ier LIe job uILer sIe rung und oIIered udvIce Lo u womun cuIIer wIo Iud
been dumped. EIuInu`s LIp - go bowIIng wILI puIs und drInk u mug oI mIIk - wus so good sIe goL u
weekIy sIoL und now udvIses LIousunds oI uduIL IIsLeners. TIe IILLIer udvIser LuckIes probIems rungIng
Irom Iow Lo dump boyIrIends und Iow Lo cope wILI reIuLIonsIIp breukdown Lo deuIIng wILI smeIIy
broLIers.

WIen one IIsLener wroLe Lo EIuInu uskIng Iow Lo geL u mun, sIe repIIed: "SIuke your booLy on LIe
dunce IIoor und IIsLen Lo HIgI ScIooI MusIcuI". AnoLIer cuIIer usked Iow Lo geL Ier mun buck, EIuInu
LoId Ier: "He's noL worLI LIe IeurLucIe. IIe's Loo sIorL Lo be upseL wILI u boy."