Title:

What is Mensa?

Word Count:
312

Summary:
Mensa was founded in 1946, in England. The Mensa Society was formed specifically
for intelligent individuals.

Keywords:
mensa, mensa puzzle, iq, intelligence, puzzle, strategy, strategy games, think,
brain, teaser, chess

Article Body:
Mensa was founded in 1946, in England. The Mensa Society was formed specifically
for intelligent individuals. The aim of Mensa was to create a non-political society
free from all forms of racial or religious distinctions, that focussed on
exceptional intelligence. All are welcomed into Mensa regardless of background,
religion, socioeconomic condition, race, or age.

In fact, on February 14, 2005 the Mensa confirmed that a three-year-old boy had
become the youngest current member of Mensa. Toddler Mikhail Ali of Bramley, Leeds
in the UK has an IQ of 137 a level of intelligence which puts him in the top 2% of
the population for his age. A mensa spokeswoman confirmed Mikhail was its current
youngest member and said the organization only has 30 members under the age of 10.
Mikhail was three years and six weeks old when he joined Mensa. The organization's
youngest member ever was two years and 10 months old when he joined in the mid
1990's. These records are a meaningful only from a public-relations standpoint
however, since IQ changes very little with age. That is, people who are smart in
adulthood were just as smart as children and vice versa, regardless of whether or
not they join Mensa.

The name Mensa comes from the Latin word for table and indicates a group of equals
sharing ideas, like a roundtable discussion.

Mensa's stated purpose is to identify and encourage human intelligence for the
benefit of humanity; to foster research in nature, characteristic and uses of
intelligence; and to promote stimulating social and intellectual opportunities for
society members.

Famous mensa currently include Isaac Asimov, and Gena Davis. Mensa sets a measured
intelligence level in the upper two percent of the population. This is its only
requirement for membership. Statistically, about six million people in the United
States alone qualify for Mensa, of whom 50,000 have actually joined. Worldwide,
about 120 million people qualify for mensa of whom 100,000 have joined.