Even ‘the smartest person ever born’ (estimated IQ 250 – 300). See list of accomplishments below (from a quote dated 16 September1998 – Doug Renselle) got some C’s and B’s in college. Of course, he was 10 yrs old and at Harvard….
William James Sidis is arguably the brightest human who ever existed on our planet Earth.
Sidis’ extraordinary capabilities and accomplishments:
1. Given IQ is a purely anthropocentric means of assessing intelligence, Sidis’ IQ is crudely estimated at 250-300.
2. Infant Billy listened to Greek myths read to him by Sarah as bedtime stories.
3. Started feeding himself with a spoon at eight months (after two months of trial and error).
4. Cajoled by Boris, Billy learned to pronounce alphabetic syllables from blocks hanging in his crib.
5. At six months, Billy said, “Door.” A couple months later he told Mom he liked things, doors and people, that move.
6. At seven months he pointed to Earth’s moon and called it, “moon.” He wanted a ‘moon’ of his own.
7. Mastered higher mathematics and planetary revolutions by age 11.
8. Learned to spell efficiently by one year old.
9. Started reading The New York Times at 18 months.
10. Started typing at three. Used his high chair to reach a typewriter. First composed letter was an order for toys from Macy’s.
11. Read Caesar’s Gallic Wars, in Latin (self-taught), as a birthday present to his Father in Billy’s fourth year.
12. Learned Greek alphabet and read Homer in Greek in his fourth year.
13. Learned Aristotelian logic in his sixth year.
14. At six, Billy learned Russian, French, German, and Hebrew, and soon after, Turkish and Armenian.
15. Calculated mentally a day any date in history would fall at age six. Absolutely fascinated by calendars.
16. Learned Gray’s Anatomy at six. Could pass a student medical examination.
17. Billy started grammar school at six, in 3 days 3rd grade, graduated grammar school in 7 months.
18. At age 8, Billy surpassed his father (a genius) in mathematics.
19. Corrected E. V. Huntington’s mathematics text galleys at age of eight.
20. Total recall of everything he read.
21. Wrote four books between ages of four and eight. Two on anatomy and astronomy, lost.
22. Passed Harvard Medical School anatomy exam at age seven.
23. Passed MIT entrance exam at age eight.
24. Intellect surpassed best secondary school teachers.
25. At age 10, in one evening, corrected Harvard logic professor Josiah Royce’s book manuscript: citing, “wrong paragraphs.”
26. Attempted to enroll in Harvard at nine.
27. In 1909, became youngest student to ever enroll at Harvard at age 11.
28. In 1910, at age 11, lectured Harvard Mathematical Club on ‘Four-Dimensional Bodies.’
29. Billy graduated from Harvard, cum laude, on June 24, 1914, at age 16.
30. Billy entered Harvard Law School in 1916.
31. Billy could learn a whole language in one day!
32. Billy knew all the languages (approximately 200) of the world, and could translate among them instantly!
33. More recently, in late 2005, we commence recognition of Billy’s probable (perhaps only intuitive) adeptness in ancient Judaic Gematria and Hermetics. Doug – 8Dec2005. Again, refer Sam Rosenberg’s conjectures. Perhaps there is even more than Sam decrypted. Billy: quanton(Hyde,Jekyll).
Here is a partial list of known publications of William James Sidis:
1. First book ? a grammar, The Reader.
2. Second book ? a new language, Book of Vendergood, Vendergood is simpler than Esperanto.
3. First Book on Calendars ? only a first part (how to make a calendar) of his book survives.
4. The Hesperia Constitution ? Billy’s own code of behavior, available from Harvard Archives.
5. ‘Unconscious Intelligence’ ? Appendix IV to Boris’ book, Symptomatology, Psychognosis and Diagnosis of Psychopathic Diseases ? in this essay, Billy proved subconscious is conscious (using SOM’s universal truth ? Pirsig would find this incredible, because Billy preconceived one universal truth, but you can see here Pirsig on Sidis’ man vs. monkey/squirrel philosophical logic, Pirsig saw similar logic as relative, not absolute ? an example of MoQ’s many truths. Sidis viewed monkey logic and human logic as, “two theories whose consequences are, and must be the same” via his assumption of isomorphism.) See pp. 105-6 of The Prodigy, 1st edition.
6. A book on an Ouija board.
7. Sidis’ first published book on physics, The Animate and the Inanimate. His unique, totally self-conceived, masterwork. A 1920 effort published in 1925 . In this book he predicts black holes before anyone even thought of them. Amy Wallace’s coverage here (reversibility, non-classical thermodynamics, etc.) is superb. See chapter 11 of The Prodigy. Also, see Pirsig discovers Sidis, nearby.
8. An article, ‘A Remark on the Occurrence of Revolution,’ published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. His article basically says that oppressed people revolt.
9. A novel on lost Atlantis ? never published, apparently lost.
10. Sidis’ second and last published book (1926), Notes on the Collection of Transfers.
11. The Transfer Guide to the District of Columbia, The Transit Guide to the Northeast Suburbs of Boston, etc. Note that no guides of this sort were in existence when he wrote them. They were useful. Note too, he had them all memorized!
12. The Peridromophile, a monthly Sidis publication, starting in September of 1926, 10 cents per issue or $1 per year.
13. Part I: The Tribes and the States, and Part II: The Peace Paths, Sidis’ 1200 page magnum opus, a revisionist history of USA. Only Part I and first page of Part II survive.
14. The Penacook Courier, an apparently ruse newspaper used by Sidis to promote his legend-history of the USA.
15. Continuity News, successor to The Penacook Courier, published under Sidis’ favorite pen name: Parker Greene.
16. The Orarch, successor to Continuity News, motto: ‘Grant to Others All Rights You Would Have Others Grant to You.’ When he started this publication, he started a Liberty War Objectors Association. LWOA was an organization advocating conscientious objection and objection to war and production activities supporting war.
17. The Libertarian, started in February, 1944 after a stint with Julius Eichel’s, The Absolutist. His motto of The Libertarian was a Jeffersonian quote, “That Government Is Best Which Governs Least.”
Here is a partial list of William James Sidis’ idiosyncratic and acultural behaviors:
1. Utter disregard of sports and physical activities ? learned from his father.
2. Utter disregard of things monetary ? learned from his father.
3. Utter disregard for academia, academicians, academic bureaucracy and their ‘titles.’
4. Collected street car transfers. Knew most details of most routes in USA.
5. Rabid atheist by age six. (His father, Boris, was too, but intensely studied great religious works.)
6. His only fear was dogs.
7. Learned to hate mathematics in grammar school; later at 7.5 years he started a life long love of math.
8. Avid interest in politics.
9. Dressed in Russian peasant clothes as a minor.
10. On hearing a Bible read aloud, declared he didn’t believe in that and didn’t want to hear it.
11. In school, only worked problems to which he didn’t know answers.
12. After 3 months in high school, parents withdrew him; teachers were relieved.
13. Thinking was his chosen refuge from media antagonists.
14. Essence of Billy Sidis: On page 106, of The Prodigy, Amy Wallace quotes Billy on his view of the perfect life, “I want to live the perfect life. The only way to live the perfect life is to live it in seclusion. I have always hated crowds.” These sentences, in your reviewer’s opinion, are an excellent micro-biography of mankind’s finest known intellect.
15. Celibate: Vowed never to marry. (One of his 154 rules for life.) “Women do not appeal to me.” See Pirsig’s comments on this below ? Pirsig on Sidis’ celibacy
16. Considered traditional classrooms, ‘stifling.’
17. Billy was a pacifist, anti-war, conscientious objector. (See our research link at top of page.)
18. He was a reformed communist/socialist ? eventually found both intellectually disgusting.
19. Paradoxes were his logical specialty.
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