10 Things I bet you never knew: Child Prodigies
As we conclude our Child's Month features, TEENage wants to take this opportunity to highlight 10 amazing children of the past and their feats.
1. Wolfgang Mozart was probably the greatest child prodigy of his time. Mozart began playing the harpsichord at age three, and could read and play music by age five. He debuted onto the classical music scene one year later and is now one of the most prolific composers of all time.
2. Lucretia Maria Davidson was a woman, born in the early 19th century, who made her mark as an astounding poet of her time before the age of 11.
3. Kim Ung-Yong started university courses at age three and with an IQ of 210, he was able to solve complicated calculus equations, compose poetry and speak a multitude of languages, before eventually heading stateside to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and get his PhD.
4. Gregory Smith, who was born in 1990, could read at age two and had enrolled in university at 10. Throughout his life, he travels the globe as a peace and children's rights activist and for these and other humanitarian and advocacy efforts, Smith has been nominated four times for a Nobel Peace Prize.
5. Akrit Jaswal, India's smartest child, in 2000, performed his first medical procedure at his family home. He was seven and his patient — a local girl who could not afford a doctor — was eight. Jaswal had no medical training at the time and no experience in surgery.
6. William James, who had an IQ of 300, could read at 18 months, had written four books and was fluent in eight languages at age seven, gave a Harvard lecture at nine and entered the Ivy League university at 11.
7. Cleopatra Stratan is the youngest person ever to score commercial success as a singer, with her 2006 album La Vârsta De Trei Ani (At The Age Of Three). She holds the record for being the youngest artiste that performed live for two hours in front of a large audience, the highest paid young artiste, the youngest artiste to receive an MTV Music Award and the youngest artiste to score a number one hit in a country.
8. Aelita Andre was famous for showing her paintings at a famous gallery at the tender age of two. Many of her works were done before she had even reached this age.
9. Fabiano Luigi Caruana is a 16-year-old chess Grandmaster and chess prodigy. At the age of 14, Caruana became a Grandmaster, making him the youngest in Italy and United States, where he has dual citizenship.
10. Elaina Smith is known for her first job at age seven, where she called her local radio station and gave an adult advice on relationships. Ever since the radio station has hired her to give advice to thousands of callers.