The 10 Smartest People Alive Today

SMARTEST PEOPLE JUDGING HOW SMART A PERSON IS CAN BE A VERY SUBJECTIVE MATTER. DOES THEIR IQ SCORE MAKE THEM THE SMARTEST? OR IS IT MORE ABOUT ACCOMPLISHMENTS? THE DEBATE OVER THIS LIKELY WILL NEVER CEASE. BELOW, THOUGH, ARE 10 PEOPLE (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER) THAT NOBODY WOULD DENY ARE UNWORTHY OF BEING CALLED THE SMARTEST PEOPLE ALIVE TODAY. JUST HOW SMART IS SMART? 50% 2.5% of people are mentally deficient / impaired (under 70) of people have IQ scores between 90 and 110 0.5% 2.5% of people are very superior in intelligence of people are near genius or genius (over 140) (over 130) STEPHEN W. HAWKING AGE 70 Probably the most recognized name on this list. Stephen Hawking has made a name for himself with his groundbreaking research into theoretical physics as well as authoring books that have helped us mere mortals understand the universe. All while facing the debilitating effects of ALS. 10 160 Recipient of 14 awards of recognition Author of 7 bestselling books KIM UNG-YONG AGE 50 The phrase child prodigy gets tossed around so much these days, but in the case of Kim Ung-Yong, child prodigy is an understatement. The Guinness Book of World Records lists him as having the highest confirmed IQ in the world. By the age of 2, he was fluent in four languages, and by age 4 was auditing college courses. If that wasn't enough, he was invited by NASA to study in the United States by the ripe old age of only 8. 10 210 3 Worked for NASA as a teenager! Child prodigy. PAUL ALLEN AGE 59 As the co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen is definitely the most successful in turning his brain power into riches. With $14.2 billion Allen is ranked as the 48th richest person in the world, owns multiple companies and sports teams and is one of the world's biggest philanthropists. 10 170 Scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT Net worth: 14.2 Billion RICK ROSNER AGE 52 With an IQ of 192, you wouldn't think Rick Rosner's job title would be that of a television writer who most recently worked for Jimmy Kimmel. But then again, he isn't your average genius. In fact, his resume includes stints as a stripper, roller-skating waiter, bouncer, and nude model. 10192 Changed his name to stay in high school into his 20s. GARRY KASPAROV AGE 49 While he may have lost at chess to a computer, we won't hold that against him. Garry Kasparov holds the record as the youngest undisputed world chess champion, when he won the title at the age of 22. Retiring from the sport in 2005, Kasparov now dedicates his time to politics, and writing. Founder of Ran for President Of Russia the United 1Q Civil Front 190 Holds the record for longest stretch as the No. 1-rated chess player. SIR ANDREW WILES AGE 59 In 1995, British mathematician Sir Andrew Wiles proved the 358-year-old it should say mathematical theory "Fermat's Last Theorem," which was widely regarded as the most difficult math problem in the world. Knighted for his contributions to mathematics 1Q 170 Recipient of 15 prizes in math and science JUDIT POLGAR AGE 35 Her father raised both her and her sisters in an experiment in education by attempting to prove that children could make exceptional achievements if trained in a specialist subject from a very early age. We would have to say his experiment was a success. At the ripe old age of 15, Judit Polgar beat Bobby Fisher, becoming the youngest grandmaster of chess at the time. Child 1Q 3 prodigy 170 Did we mention she beat Bobby Fisher at chess when she was only 15? CHRISTOPHER HIRATA AGE 30 Christopher Hirata is one of those people even smart people are jealous of. By 14, he had entered Caltech By 16, he was working with NASA on projects dealing with colonizing Mars and he earned his PhD in astrophysics from Princeton at age 22. Child IQ. prodigy 225 Youngest American (at 13) to win a gold medal in the International Physics Olympiad TERRENCE TAO AGE 36 Tao credits his start in mathematics to watching Sesame Street as a toddler. By the age of 2, while most of us are still getting adjusted to walking, and talking, Tao was able to calculate basic arithmetic. By age 9, he was taking college level math courses, and received a Ph.D from Princeton at 20. At 24, he became the youngest ever full professor at UCLA. Tao was the youngest participant to date in the International Mathematical Olympiad, winning the gold medal when he was 13. 1Q 230 Tao has published over 230 research papers. JAMES WOODS AGE 65 No that's not a typo, James Woods is a genius. On his SAT, Woods scored a perfect 800 on the verbal and 779 on math. He enrolled in linear algebra at UCLA while in high school before accepting a full scholarship to MIT, where he caught the acting bug, dropped out of college and never looked back. One can only imagine what his career would have looked like if he'd stayed in academia. 10180 Won three Emmy Awards Two Academy Award nominations SuperScholar The best ideas in the world www.superscholar.org