They can be called the most controversial people in history, "evil geniuses." Gifted and even brilliant, they have not always developed their potential for the benefit of society.

1. Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla is a brilliant scientist, a man of mystery. He created an emitter of a beam of charged particles, the "Death Ray", which became interested in the USSR, and the Soviet company "Amtorg" even concluded an agreement with Tesla. The war confused the cards and Tesla's installation was destroyed by the Americans.
Tesla is also suspected of being associated with the Tunguska meteorite. According to one version, the scientist conducted an experiment on the transfer of energy through the air. In the journal of the US Library of Congress, there are records that shortly before the incident, he requested maps of "the least populated parts of Siberia."

2. Werner von Braun

"Doctor Evil" of the Third Reich, Wernher von Braun, until the end of the war worked on the development of the "weapon of retaliation", the ballistic missile "V-2". She became the first object in history to make a suborbital flight. During the war, the rocket never fully revealed its devilish potential, but became the prototype for the missiles of the USSR and the USA. Evacuated to the United States under the Paperclip program, Wernher von Braun became the "father of NASA" there.

3. Bianco

A native of Spain and Greek by nationality, Bianco was one of the most effective card cheats in history. He "became famous" in the middle of the 19th century. Deciding to play high, he bought a large batch of card decks and marked each one himself, then he brought these cards to Havana. Due to their good value for money, decks quickly flooded into gaming houses. After waiting for the time, Bianco himself arrived in Havana. He acted cautiously, getting richer day by day. His luck was almost prevented by another cheat - Laforcad, but Bianco signed a contract with him, and they began to work together. When their scam came to light, Bianco managed to escape.

4. Richard Whitney

Richard Whitney is one of the legendary "sharks of Wall Street", the "stock king". He was both the vice president of the New York Stock Exchange and its head. Saved her from financial ruin on Black Thursday. But a passion for stock market manipulation led Whitney to jail. He was charged with embezzlement of his foundation, fraud and other wrongdoing. In the spring of 1938, he received five years in Sing Sing Prison. The exposure of Richard Whitney became in America not just a sensation, but a kind of symbol of the filthiness of the wealthy capitalists.

5. Alfred Nobel

Alfred Nobel remained for centuries as the founder of the award in his own name, but at the end of the 19th century, his fame was far from good. He was called "millionaire on blood", "king of dynamite", "explosive death merchant". Of course, due to the fact that it was Alfred Nobel who was the inventor of dynamite. He was also a failed playwright. His only play, Nemesis, was declared heretical, and its entire print run was destroyed.

6. Charles Ponzi

When Ponzi came to the United States in 1903, he had $ 2.5, and in 1919, with $ 200 in hand, he founded a firm he called the Securities Exchange Company. This was the first pyramid scheme. The very next year, Ponzi became a millionaire and lived in an expensive mansion. However, this was the end of his well-being. One of the depositors filed a lawsuit against Ponzi, the tax authorities became interested in the pyramid, which discovered multimillion-dollar debts. Ponzi declared himself bankrupt, and then went to jail for 5 years. In 1934 he was deported to his homeland. At one time he worked under the patronage of Mussolini as an airline representative in Rio de Janeiro. He died in 1949 in a charity hospital, leaving behind $ 75.

7. Theodore Kaczynski

Theodore Kaczynski went down in history as an Unabomber (University and airline bomber), although he was a child prodigy, at the age of 16, in 1958, he entered Harvard, at 20 - in graduate school at the University of Michigan. His dissertation in mathematics could be assessed only by 10-12 people in the United States. Kaczynski was the youngest professor at the University of California.
And then he read Henry Thoreau and moved to live in a forest hut. However, civilization did not give rest to the professor, it oppressed him more and more. Then he decided to fight her. And so he became "Unabomber". Since 1996, Kachinsky has been serving 8 life sentences.

8. Adam Worth

Adam Worth was called the "Napoleon of the underworld" and the "Napoleon of crime." It was he who was the prototype of Dr. Moriarty in the novels of Conan Doyle.

Worth was on the list of those killed during the American Civil War and then decided to start a new life. At first he was a "jumper" - he joined the regiment under a false name, lived at his expense, and then deserted. In civilian life, Worth gathered a whole gang of pickpockets and was their boss. By the way, it is oddly enough that pickpockets are considered "kings of the underworld". Everything came down to robberies of banks and pawnshops, theft of valuable antiques in the USA, France and England. After imprisonment, in order to get money for subsistence, Worth immediately robbed a jewelry store. True, then he began to cooperate with Pinkerton.

9. False Dmitry I

In today's historical science, it is somehow assumed by default that False Dmitry was an impostor. If so, then one cannot deny his genius. He succeeded, with all honest people, to achieve recognition of himself as a prince by his mother and the closest people, he ruled the country for a whole year. And ruled graciously. But he remained in history as an impostor on the throne.

10. John Lo

Scottish financier Don Lo (1671-1729), thanks to his luck at the cards, entered the best houses of Venice, Amsterdam and Paris. In France, Law even became finance minister and began issuing unsecured gold money, two years later, the French economy was under threat. Law had to flee France.

12. Gilles de Rae

We know him from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Bluebeard". Georges Bataille called Gilles de Rais "Shakespeare's hero." The life of the baron was theatrically oversaturated with vivid exploits and inhuman crimes that went beyond the bounds of reason. After the death of Jeanne d'Arc, whose bodyguard he was, Gilles de Rais left military service, staged the successful Orleans Mystery and took up alchemy.

Fate brought him to the warlock Prelati, who promised de Rae to summon the devil himself. He was excommunicated, accused of killing 150 children, warlock, sodomy and alchemy. Gilles de Rae admitted only his passion for alchemy, but in history he remained precisely in the form of a cruel killer.

13. Saint Germain

The most mysterious man in France in the 17th century, alchemist, adventurer, diplomat, polyglot, traveler. Saint Germain was known in different places under the following names: General Saltykov, Prince Rakosi, Count Tsarogi, Marquis de Montferat, Comte de Bellamy, Comte de Veldon, but no one knew his real biography.

He amazed everyone with his unbridled energy and the mass of the most fantastic projects that he proposed to carry out: he sold ointments for rejuvenation to women, offered to build recoilless guns and a ship without sails. Even after Saint-Germain's death, people claimed to have met him in many different places.

14. Count Cagliostro

Cagliostro was a contemporary of Saint Germain. He liked to call himself a great "magician", astrologer and healer. Rumors of his miraculous abilities quickly spread throughout Europe. They said that Cagliostro easily summons the souls of the dead, turns lead into gold, reads thoughts. In Russia, Cagliostro traded as a doctor, was friends with Catherine II and showed tricks until he was convicted of fraud. Cagliostro ended his days in an Italian prison. All his belongings and alchemical equipment were burned.

15. Aleister Crowley

In terms of his level of fame and the resonance he has produced on culture, Crowley can be compared to rock stars. In his teachings, Crowley combined the experience of different cultures, and even the Russian Khlystovism had a serious impact on his worldview and system. Crowley has been to Russia more than once and admitted that Russian culture has expanded his consciousness. Alistair was accused of having connections with Hitler, but he himself repeatedly denied involvement in him, calling him a magician who did not understand the true meaning of the sacrament. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, was fond of Crowley's books.

16. Don King

Don King is called the "godfather" of American boxing. He was a promoter of the best boxers of the era, but boxers themselves do not think the best about him. Mike Tyson: “Don King is a famous retailer and killer. From 1951 to 1966 he was arrested 30 times. He served three years for murder and was released in 1971. " Don King is known as a skilled manipulator and the most money-hungry person. With the same Tyson, Don began to work at the peak of his career, but King's financial policies eventually led Tyson, who had a capital of $ 400 million, to bankruptcy.

17. Bernard Madoff

Madoff has been one of the most successful businessmen in recent years. He was at the forefront of the American stock exchange NASDAQ, which was engaged in the purchase and sale of securities in the interests of investors. Meidof's money and philanthropy were legendary, but in 2008 he was accused of creating the largest financial pyramid in history. Its collapse left millions of people without money. Damage caused by Meidof is estimated at approximately $ 65 million.
On June 29, 2009, Madoff was sentenced by a New York court to 150 years in prison for his scam.

18. Grigory Rasputin

This "Siberian elder" succeeded in the incredible: Nicholas II and the Empress called him "our friend", or "Gregory", and he called them "dad and mom." Rasputin performed quite an applied function at the court - he helped the ailing Tsarevich Alexei. All the time that Rasputin was at court, they were "digging" under him. He was a very uncomfortable figure, protesting against Russia's participation in the First World War.

Many of the accusations against Rasputin - of sectarianism, debauchery, behind-the-scenes influence on politics - were never brought to an end due to the fact that they did not receive proper confirmation. In the summer of 1914, the first assassination attempt was made on Rasputin, on December 30, 1916 - the second and last.

19. Napoleon

The image of Napoleon has undergone many changes. At one time he was recognized as a brilliant emperor (and he was), at other times he was the personification of evil. The fate of Napoleon turned out to be closely connected with Russia. In his youth, he wanted to join the Russian army, but it so happened that it was the military campaign in Russia that led him to collapse.

What is history? First of all, it is time, place and, of course, people. Moreover, they were far from ordinary and far from simple deciding destinies and creating our history, but the most brilliant, greatest, most talented people in the world! Who are they? It is possible to list names and talk about their talents for hours, days, probably, even months, there were so many of them in the whole. However, today I want to dwell on the ten most, probably, famous, most famous, those whose names are most often heard on the lips of contemporaries, regardless of their citizenship, religion and educational level.

So, the most talented people on the planet ...

William Shakespeare is the greatest and greatest playwright of the Renaissance. His multifaceted and profound plays have been translated into all major languages ​​of the world and to this day are included in the repertoires of all world theaters more often than the works of any other authors.

Michelangelo is a brilliant Italian architect and sculptor, painter and poet, artist and thinker, the greatest figure and creator of the Renaissance. During his lifetime he achieved true perfection in his works, however, dying, he still regretted that he was leaving, only having learned to read his profession by syllables.

And aren't the most talented people in the world - architects who created such a wonder of the world as the Egyptian pyramids? Their most complex mathematical and engineering calculations, on the basis of which the pyramids were erected, are simply amazing, especially when you consider that construction was not their main occupation. Talented people are known to be talented in everything.

Harmonious, grandiose and majestic creations of the great ancient Greek sculptor and architect Phidias. It belongs to him in Olympia, later called one of the wonders of the world.

Albert Einstein - this name is often mentioned when talking about very smart and gifted people. The great theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize laureate is the author of more than three hundred scientific works, as well as one and a half hundred books on philosophy, history and journalism.

The list goes on for a long time: Nostradamus, Socrates, Freud, Nietzsche, Lomonosov, Jesus Christ, Homer, Copernicus, Beethoven. All these truly most talented people in the world have made an invaluable contribution to the history of the development of society, to the versatility and richness of the modern world.

FEDERAL EDUCATION AGENCY

State educational institution of higher professional education

Altai State University

Faculty of Geography

Extramural

Brilliant and gifted people (development of abilities or natural inclinations)

Prepared by student 981-z gr .:

Borisenko I.N.

Checked by: OV Cherepanova

Barnaul 2009


Introduction

Among the many unresolved problems of the mystery of reason, there is such an important one as the problem of genius. Where does it come from, and what is it, what are the reasons for its exceptional rarity? Is this really a gift from the gods? And if so, why are such gifts given to one person, while stupidity, or even idiocy, is the lot of another? There is a question whether genius is a supernormal ability of the mind, which develops and grows stronger, or the physical brain, that is, its bearer, which, thanks to some mysterious process, becomes increasingly better adapted to the perception and manifestation of the inner and divine nature of the super-soul of man.

The Great Genius, if he is a true and innate genius, and not just the result of a pathological expansion of our human intellect, never copies someone, never sinks to imitation, he will always be original, in his creative impulses and their realization. Using a popular expression, it can be said that innate genius, like murder, sooner or later is revealed, and the more it is oppressed and opposed, the greater will be the flow of light caused by its sudden manifestation.

Genius is rare. Lavater calculated that the ratio of the number of geniuses (in general) to ordinary people is about one in a million; but the same is true of a genius without tyranny, without pretensions, who judges the weak impartially, the ruler humanely, and both in justice, there are one in ten million

Even genius - this is the only sovereign power belonging to a person, before which one can kneel without blushing - even many psychiatrists have put it on the same level with a penchant for crime, even in it they see only one of the teratological (ugly) forms of the human mind, one of the varieties of madness. And note that not only doctors and not only in our skeptical times allow themselves such profanity, such blasphemy.

Even Aristotle, this great ancestor and teacher of all philosophers, noticed that under the influence of rushes of blood to the head, many individuals become poets, prophets or soothsayers, and that Mark Syracuse wrote quite good poetry while he was a maniac, but, having recovered, he completely lost this ability.

He says elsewhere: It has been noticed that famous poets, politicians and artists were partly melancholic and madmen, partly misanthropes, like Bellerophon. Even today we see the same thing in Socrates, Empedocles, Plato and others, and most of all in poets. People with cold, abundant blood (literally bile) are timid and limited, and people with hot blood are mobile, witty and talkative.

Plato argues that delirium is not a disease at all, but, on the contrary, the greatest of the blessings bestowed upon us by the gods; under the influence of delirium, the Delphic and Dodonian soothsayers rendered thousands of services to the citizens of Greece, while in their ordinary state they were of little or no use.

Felix Plater claims to have known many people who, with their remarkable talent in various arts, were at the same time insane. Their insanity was expressed by an absurd passion for praise, as well as strange and indecent actions.


Giftedness

According to experts, gifted children can be called those who demonstrate a high level of achievement in one or several spheres of activity: intellectual, academic achievement, creative thinking, artistic activity, sports success. Separately, talent in the field of communication, leadership and leadership is distinguished.

Therefore, not all parents perceive the discovery of their child's giftedness with enthusiasm: “I don’t want him to be a genius. Let him be a normal, happy, adapted child”. But what does normal mean in relation to a gifted child? It is quite normal for such a kid to be inquisitive, energetic, sensitive, quick-witted, remember everything, speak well and be very independent.

In America, there is a fairly harmonious system of services and agencies responsible for the search and selection of gifted and talented children. A unified national and a number of regional programs have been developed. An individualized child development program is drawn up by a gifted professional who tracks the child's progress and growth over time. Parents and psychologists are directly involved in this work, supporting the young genius. Children with IQs above 140 are under the most careful supervision not only of pedagogical structures. In England, in 1950, the MENSA society was created, uniting people with high IQ. Russia is the most powerful supplier of children's talents to countries where they are really appreciated.


Genius

“Genius is the highest degree a human ability can achieve. In thought, born of the inspiration of a genius, there is something exorbitant, extraordinary - this is what distinguishes his creations. But when he is not possessed by inspiration, he can only be more or less intelligent, more or less educated person. " Serge Voronoff, From cretin to genius, St. Petersburg, "European House", 2008, p. twenty.

At present, the phenomenon of genius has not yet been studied in detail. It was found that genius children are much more common among boys than among girls. Medical authorities believe that overgrowth is the result of high hormone levels in certain glands, including the pituitary and adrenal glands. Prodigies are genius because, the researchers of this phenomenon believe, that their nervous system reaches its highest development long before the whole organism develops. Various points of view are known:

According to Plato, genius is the fruit of divine inspiration;

Cesare Lombroso postulated a link between genius and mental illness;

In psychoanalysis, genius is defined as the innate ability to sublimate one's deepest sexual complexes;

Behaviorism defines genius in terms of behavior: a genius notices, perceives, contemplates, feels, thinks, speaks, acts, creates, composes, expresses, creates, compares, separates, connects, reasoning, guesses, conveys, thinks as if all this is to him dictates or inspires a certain spirit, an invisible being of a higher kind; if he does all this as if he himself is a being of a higher kind, then he is a genius;

Gestalt psychology defines genius as the ability to see the general in the particular;

Cognitive psychology is closely intertwined with the humanistic direction and defines genius as the ability to have a stable goal with a very wide choice of ways to achieve it. Humanists introduce the concept of "I-concept" and put self-actualization as the central subject of study;

From the point of view of fashionable "quantum psychology", a genius is one who, as a result of some internal process, managed to break through to the seventh neurological circuit (called the indefinite term "intuition") and return back to the third, already with the ability to draw a new semantic map - to build a new model of reality ;

Analytical psychology, led by Carl Jung, defends the opinion that "... a work of art arises in conditions similar to the conditions for the emergence of neurosis ...".

According to the Oxford Dictionary, genius is "a natural intellectual force of an unusually high type, an exceptional ability for creativity, requiring expression, original thinking, invention or discovery."

In the third edition of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, genius is defined as "the highest degree of manifestation of a person's creative powers." “The term“ genius ”is used both to denote a person's ability to create, and to assess the results of his activities, suggesting an innate ability to productively work in a particular area. Genius, unlike talent, is not just the highest degree of giftedness, but is associated with the creation of qualitatively new creations. The activity of a genius is realized in a certain historical context of the life of human society, from which the genius draws material for his work. "

In all definitions, the most important, as clearly distinguishing genius from talent, is the statement of what can be expressed by the formula: "Genius does what he has to do, talent does what he can." This formula implies the subordination of a genius to the task that his inner essence sets before him. This formula implies the fatal doom of a genius, his hopelessness in submission to his creativity, the inevitability of exerting all his forces to achieve the set goal, to solve a specific problem.

This formula unites Alexander the Great, in spite of the riots of his exhausted soldiers rushing east and south from the Indus, which he crossed, defeating King Porus; Napoleon going to Moscow; Mozart, on the eve of his death, playing the Requiem, which he thinks means his end; Beethoven, who wrote most of his greatest creations while being deaf. This formula unites many other genius people who became fanatics of their work. If Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin did not have an obsession, a fantastic purposefulness, then they, with all their abilities, being "prodigies", they would have remained. But Beethoven wrote in his will that he cannot leave this life without having accomplished everything for which he was intended.

The study of the biographies of geniuses of all times and peoples leads to the conclusion: geniuses are born. However, only a negligible fraction of the born potential geniuses develops into geniuses. And of the genuine, undoubted geniuses, only a tiny fraction is realized. Consideration of the mechanisms of genius, the emergence of a potential genius is, first of all, a biological, even genetic problem. The development of a genius is a biosocial problem. The realization of genius is a sociobiological problem.

At first glance, what has been said leads to pessimistic conclusions. Since there is no potential genius, there is nothing to do, there will be no great. But there is also a flip side of the coin, which is that not genetic, but biosocial and sociobiological brakes lead to the fact that only one genius out of tens of thousands of potential ones is realized. If we recognize the geniuses of only those who are almost unanimously recognized by them in Europe and North America, then the total number of geniuses during the entire existence of our civilization will hardly exceed 400-500 ... The selection of celebrities who are given the maximum place in the encyclopedias of different countries of Europe and the United States leads to approximately such figures, if we subtract from these celebrities those who got into history because of nobility or other accidental merits.

The diversity of the nature of genius

Geniuses are inexhaustiblely diverse and often represent completely opposite types of personalities. Here are some examples.

M. Faraday at 40, after his epoch-making discovery of the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction, resisting the temptation to go into industry for large earnings, he is content with five pounds a week and remains a laboratory researcher, doing pure science.

William Thomson(Lord Kelvin) has an amazing creative energy, and even on his deathbed continues to work on the completion of the last scientific article. He became president of the Royal Society, peer of England, his fortune to death was estimated at 162 thousand pounds sterling, but he worked incessantly. His creative activity never stopped, he always worked - even surrounded by children, at a party.

The main feature of a genius really always turns out to be the ability for incredible work, absolute obsession and striving for absolute perfection.

Statement of thoughts Gauguin(I. Stone): “Hard work to coordinate the six basic colors, the deepest concentration, subtle calculation, the ability to solve a thousand questions in just half an hour - but here you need the healthiest mind! And, moreover, absolutely sober ... When I write the sun, I want the audience to feel that it rotates with terrifying speed, emits light and hot waves of colossal power! When I paint a field of wheat, I want people to feel how every atom in its ears strives outward, wants to give a new shoot, to open up. When I write an apple, I need the viewer to feel how juice wanders and knocks under its skin, how a seed wants to break out of its core and find a soil for itself. "

Laplace once discovered that every time he began a phrase with the word “Obviously,” it turned out that this word hid the hard work he had done beforehand for many hours.

It is known that the strongest physicists and mathematicians spent months of work to figure out the actions that needed to be performed to consistently derive those eight to ten formulas that Einstein denoted by the words "from here follows ...".

History knows many early ripened musical talents. Chopin made his first public debut at the age of eight. Weber was appointed conductor of the Breslau Opera Orchestra at the age of seventeen. Richard Strauss began composing music at the age of six, just like Haydn did his compositions. Yehudi Menuhin easily played the violin at the age of three, and at eighteen he was already considered an unsurpassed virtuoso. Landon Ronald started playing the piano before he could speak.

Most of the young mathematicians, when their finest hour passed, faded into obscurity. Great French physicist and mathematician Ampere, whose name the unit of current is named after, was a notable exception. He not only achieved universal recognition and fame, but also demonstrated amazing talents in other areas of human knowledge. An avid book reader, he swallowed every book his father was able to purchase for him. But nothing gave the boy such pleasure as immersion in an encyclopedia. Even many years later, he could retell almost word for word most of this multivolume edition. In 1786, when Ampere was eleven years old, he had already advanced so far in the study of mathematics that he began to deal with complex problems in Lagrange's famous work "Analytical Mechanics". Throughout his life, Ampere revolutionized mathematics, discovering the fundamental laws of electrodynamics and writing significant works in chemistry, the theory of poetry and psychology.

Remained in history and Karl Friedrich Gauss born in 1777 into a poor German family. At the age of twenty-five, he published his Studies in Arithmetic, in which he examined the foundations of number theory, and soon established himself as the first mathematician of the nineteenth century. Gauss began to show promise very early. Already at the age of two, he corrected his father, who had incorrectly calculated the salaries of several workers, by doing this calculation in his head. Soon the boy turned into a local celebrity in his hometown of Braunschweig and, thanks to several noble patrons, was able to attend school, quite successfully coping with various and difficult tasks. One fine day, the math teacher asked Karl not to bother attending his lessons, because he could not teach the boy anything that he did not already know.

One of the famous English prodigies was George Bidder, born in 1805. Known as the "counting boy", Bidder showed his unheard-of mathematical ability as early as four years old, although he could not write numbers and, naturally, did not even understand the meaning of the word "multiple". But at the same time, the boy was so amazed by everyone who met him that his father decided to take him on a trip to England, and soon noisy crowds everywhere demanded a "counting boy" who answered all difficult questions with surprising ease.

Boy named Miguel Mantilla, who was born in Mexico, already at two years old could answer the question: "What year was it if February 4 fell on Friday?" The answer was given in less than 10 seconds.

George Watson, born in Buxted in 1785, was considered an almost complete idiot in everything except counting and memorization. Although he could neither read nor write, he did the most complex mathematical calculations in his mind and could answer without hesitation any questions about what day of the week was during this or that historical event. If it happened that this historical date fell on the years of his life, he could still say where he was at that time and what kind of weather it was then.

Some geeks show truly all-round talents. Christian Heineken, born in 1921 and known as "the child from Lübeck", startled everyone when, a few hours after birth, he suddenly spoke up. Rumor claimed that he was not yet a year old, and he could already reproduce from memory all the main events described in the five books of the Old Testament.

John Stuart Mill, a famous 19th century philosopher and economist, could read Greek at the age of three. A little later, when he was ten years old, he easily found his bearings in the works of Plato and Demosthenes.

Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher and mathematician, was also a fully gifted child as a child. He was not yet twelve years old when he wrote his theses on acoustics; at the age of nineteen, Pascal invented the first calculating machine. In his thirtieth year of life, the scientist wrote several theological studies.

In other words, the main feature of genius really turns out to be the ability for incredible work, absolute obsession and striving for absolute perfection.

The mystery of the appearance of a genius

Is there an internal contradiction in anticipation of an increase in the frequency of the appearance of geniuses? If in the entire history of mankind there were only about 450 geniuses, then how can you count on such a miracle as their additional appearance, or 10-100 times more frequent appearance of remarkable talents? This is a natural question.

Therefore, it is immediately necessary to say that there are two gigantic abysses, and they lie on the same path. First, the gap between geniuses (and remarkable talents) potential, being born and geniuses developing. Secondly, there is a no less deep gulf between developed geniuses and realized geniuses.

As for the frequency of appearance (birth) of geniuses, consider one simple calculation. Just as there is not the slightest reason to believe that one race or nation is superior to other races or nations in terms of hereditary giftedness, there is no reason to believe that any nations in the past, in the Ancients, or in the Middle Ages were superior to the present in terms of the same hereditary giftedness. ...

We have to pay attention to the fact that geniuses and remarkable talents almost always appeared in flashes, in groups, but precisely in those periods when they were provided with optimal opportunities for development and implementation. One of these optimal eras was the age of the famous commander Cimon and the historian Thucydides - the "golden age" of Athens in the era of Pericles. At Pericles, world-class geniuses gathered at the table: Anaxagoras, Zeno, Protagoras, Sophocles, Socrates, Plato, Phidias - almost all of them were indigenous citizens of Athens, whose free population hardly exceeded 100,000 people. Bertrand Russell, in his History of Western Philosophy, points out that in Athens, in its heyday, around 430 BC. BC, there were about 230,000 people, including slaves, and the surrounding area of ​​rural Attica probably had a significantly smaller number of inhabitants.

If we take into account that the creativity of the musical geniuses of Ancient Greece did not come down to us, and that the geniuses of natural science, mathematics and technology could neither develop nor realize themselves, since only commanders, politicians, orators, playwrights, philosophers and sculptors were revered, then it is clear, that in that era in Athens, barely a tenth of the free-born potential geniuses could develop and be realized. The greatest minds of the Hellenic world did not gather in Athens at all. Athenian citizenship was not easy given, only the natives of the city and children from the marriage of an Athenian with an Athenian woman received this citizenship, children from the marriage of an Athenian with a non-Athenian woman were not considered citizens of Athens. The geniuses of the "circle of Pericles" were formed on the spot, as a result of social continuity, communication with each other, due to the fact that understanding and "demand" for their work met not only in the circle of connoisseurs, but also on the part of the people.

No genetic data allows even the thought that the Athenians were hereditarily superior to those around them then or to modern peoples. The secret of the "flash of genius" was entirely in the stimulating environment. But if such a "flash" happened once, then it is reproducible! Moreover, today the outbursts of geniuses would give dozens of times more names, since the range of gifts that modern society requires has expanded hundreds of times.

There are many other examples when a very small stratum, which, however, has the ability to develop and realize their talents, and often in one way or another usurped these maximum opportunities, singled out a lot of exceptionally gifted people in comparison with other strata. This happened in England in the era of Elizabeth, when many of the most talented people quickly emerged, starting with the Cecil dynasty - Burleigh and Bacons, ending with Drake, Raleigh, Walsingham, Marlowe and Shakespeare. This was the case in France during the period of the Encyclopedists, the Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.

The era of the Renaissance became a time of mass striving for culture, knowledge, art. This was the era of massive demand for painting not only from patrons of art, but also from the “crowd”, the public viewer. In many workshops, gifted students, competing, discussing, criticizing, learning, created that “micro-sphere”, that circulation of ideas, that “critical mass” at which the chain reaction of creativity begins. It is simply impossible to give any reasonable idea of ​​the size of those strata of the population from which emerged artists, poets, thinkers, outstanding popes and condottiere. It was an era of gigantic social changes, breaking down barriers, overcoming the medieval way ...

But in history, it is probably difficult to find any era of breaking caste, class and other restrictions, which would not be accompanied by the appearance of many talented people in various fields. Although, of course, in the intervals between such liberating ways of development and implementation of social shifts, here and there "microspheres with critical masses" appear.

Charlemagne specially sent people to all ends of his empire to look for gifted young men. The result is the Carolingian revival.

Talented boys were selected to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, they were given the opportunity to develop with good views for subsequent implementation - and what we now call the “Lyceum effect” arose.

The term "noble period of Russian literature" has long come into official use. But, tracing the fate of the figures of this period, we see that almost all of them were, as they say, if not from childhood, then from youth, "familiar with the houses." How this determined the goals, values, focus of efforts, one can only hardly imagine, despite all the works of Pushkinists and other literary historians. The unusually high frequency of remarkable talents and geniuses in the few clans whose representatives created this period is explained, of course, primarily by the fact that members of these clans, as a rule, had very good opportunities for self-realization.

It may be premature and inappropriate to introduce a term like "the era of merchant patronage", but it is perhaps difficult to imagine the development of Russian painting, sculpture, music and theater without Alekseev (Stanislavsky), without Tretyakov, Shchukin, Morozov, without the Abramtsevo circle (around Mamontov Vrubel, Serov, Vasnetsov, Chaliapin, Chekhov, Levitan are going to Abramtsevo). But these "merchants-patrons" were often neighbors, they were also "familiar with their homes."

The stratum of the highest Russian intelligentsia turned out to be unusually surplus, which formed a self-stimulating, "familiar at home" collective, from which many of the brightest representatives of Russian culture and science emerged: Blok and Bely came out, the Lyapunov and Beketov dynasties came out, the Struve and Krylovs came out ... No one will doubt the fact that heredity alone would not be enough - the most favorable social continuity was required.

The frequency of occurrence of potential, developed and realized geniuses

So, you can be sure that the frequency of the emergence of potential geniuses and remarkable talents is almost the same for all nationalities and peoples. The nucleation frequency, based on the implementation in historically foreseeable periods (in the optimally developing layers), is determined by a figure of the order of 1: 1000. The frequency of potential geniuses who have developed enough to somehow attract attention as potential talents is probably in the order of 1: 100,000. The frequency of geniuses who realized themselves to the level of recognition of their creations and deeds as genius, probably even in the age of almost universal secondary and very often higher education is estimated at 1: 10,000,000, which implies the presence in the middle of the 20th century about a hundred geniuses per billion inhabitants of civilized and countries not suffering from the overwhelming need.

The order of the initial values ​​is determined by historical precedents: the frequency of the appearance of genuine geniuses in Athens of the era of Pericles; in the age of Elizabeth - in the aristocratic families of England oriented towards the military-political initiative; in the families of the Russian aristocracy oriented towards literary and poetic creativity, etc. Naturally, we do not assert that humanity in the third quarter of the 20th century really has a whole hundred recognized realized geniuses. We cannot prove with numbers in hand how many geniuses born in our time successfully overcome both abysses that lie in their path. Probably, although we do not insist, out of a thousand potential geniuses, 999 are extinguished precisely because of underdevelopment, and out of 1000 developed 999 are extinguished at the stage of implementation. For us, approximate orders of losses are essential. It is important for us that even a small country, for example, with 5 million inhabitants, but which has achieved the development and realization of 10% of its potential geniuses and talents, in half a century will outstrip in its movement any other, even 100 times more numerous country, which will keep in force existing barriers that prevent the full development and realization of their potentially outstanding people.

But how often a potential genius turns out to be unfulfilled! How often he is deprived of even the slightest opportunity to translate his creativity into something tangible! In one of Mark Twain's stories, someone who has fallen into the afterlife asks to show him the greatest commander of all times and peoples. In the person shown to him, he recognizes a shoemaker who lived on the street next to him and who died recently. But everything is correct - the shoemaker would really be the greatest commander, he would be a military genius, but he did not even have a chance to command a company ... And the great winners of world history were, "according to the Hamburg score", in comparison with this shoemaker, only more or less capable but by no means the greatest.

The significance of the early influences developing intelligence is clear from the work Bergins(Bergins R., 1971), which shows that 20% of future intelligence is acquired by the end of the 1st year of life, 50% - by the 4th year, 80% - by the age of 8, 92% - by the age of 13. It is obvious that already at this age a high predictability of the “ceiling” of future achievements can be achieved.

It is extremely important that this happens early enough (probably, it will happen even earlier), because, for example, the practice of awarding Nobel Prizes has shown that the fundamental discovery preceding the person being awarded usually falls on the age of 25-30. In the work of A. Mestel (A. Mestel, 1967) it is shown that the Nobel laureates in natural sciences for 1901-1962. made their discovery, later awarded the Nobel Prize, at an average age of 37 years, and this age has hardly changed from decade to decade.

In the course of studying the predictive value of intelligence tests, an extremely important truth was revealed and confirmed: starting from the IQ of 110-120, that is, in the absence of pronounced defects in the set of the basic abilities of the individual, the subsequent return in the form of any achievements does not very strongly correlate with further an increase in the intelligence quotient. A characterological feature, which is not captured by existing tests, comes to the fore - the ability to become more and more fully engaged in one's work. This ability is not so rare - selfless, absolute, displacing or pushing away other interests, any side activities, "hobbies". It makes you fanatically concentrate, relentlessly engage in your chosen business, be it the construction of some kind of apparatus, the improvement of an existing device or method, the creation of a picture, literary or musical work. Of course, this complete self-mobilization can result in genuine creativity only when it is based on an appropriate arsenal of talents, professional knowledge, skills, and abilities. But if she is not added to this arsenal, if there is no boundless enthusiasm, forcing even the subconscious to work for the cause, then a very high IQ will not lead to great achievements. In other words, from a certain threshold, it is not the level of measurable gifts that becomes decisive, but the ability or willingness to mobilize what is available to the maximum, purposefulness sufficient for productive creativity.

But in all cases, genius is, first of all, an extreme tension of individually characteristic talents, it is the greatest, incessant work for centuries, in spite of non-recognition, indifference, contempt, poverty ...

Geniuses are characterized by the ability for extreme self-mobilization, exceptional creative purposefulness, which, for many, probably no less gifted in terms of IQ, is spent on obtaining small goods, career achievements, prestige, honors, money, satisfaction of the instinct of domination, or it is simply sprayed onto countless difficulties and temptations with which life has always been rich enough.

The social value of a realized genius

Although the products of most geniuses do not lend themselves to market assessment, the history of mankind shows that the activities of any of them raised extremely high, if not the scientific, technical, military or economic potential of the country, then in any case its prestige and authority.

But maybe a genius is not so necessary? How many true geniuses did Japan need to rush from the Middle Ages and science and culture of the 20th century in 30-40 years? Kitazato, Admiral Togo, 10-20 more names ... Do geniuses (except political ones) need to rise to the level of the advanced ones for the former colonial countries: to eliminate hunger, poverty, overpopulation? “Not so much,” many people probably think. But this is only because there is no need to pave new paths in science and technology, medicine, agriculture. And if you need to not only adopt the ready-made, import and copy, always lagging behind by a dozen years? If you need to participate in a general breakthrough into the unknown and the unfamiliar? What to do with the information crisis, when it is easier to rediscover the lost knowledge than to find it yourself in the sea of ​​already existing information? Is it possible in an era of rapid development to get equipment from second hand? What to do with interdisciplinary research? With white spots that are located at the junction of not even two, but several scientific disciplines? What to do with the increasingly complex technique? With conflicting ideas? We are convinced that all these problems can be solved in only one way - an early search for genuine potential talents and geniuses. The study of the laws of the appearance of geniuses, the study of their internal properties is relevant and even necessary!

We cannot estimate in tons of food products or in hard currency what Mozart, Beethoven, Shakespeare or Pushkin gave to the world. It is impossible to evaluate in any material units what the brilliant composers, playwrights, and poets gave. It is also impossible to appreciate the contribution of a major, epoch-making inventor, be it Fulton or Diesel.

However, when they begin to believe, it turns out that with his discoveries, Louis Pasteur, for example, compensated France for the losses incurred as a result of the military defeat of 1870-1871. These losses (in addition to losses in killed and wounded) are estimated at 10-15 billion francs (only the contribution was 5 billion). During Diesel's lifetime, the number of working internal combustion engines was in the thousands. But his contribution to technology is estimated at several tens of billions of dollars.

One can always object that Copernicus, Galilee, Kepler discovered what would have been discovered without them half a century later, that Stephenson had a predecessor, Papin, that Newton had a rival Leibniz. However, an analysis of the history of any discovery, invention or major creative act shows that an absolutely extraordinary, titanic work fell to the lot of its recognized author, which immediately propelled humanity for decades ahead. And if we assume conditionally that humanitarian values, whether by virtue of their ennobling influence on humanity, by virtue of the unification of the spiritual forces of mankind around common values, or by virtue of the creation of ideals, are equivalent in value to natural scientific values, and these latter are technical, then this is will give an opportunity to switch to a conditional "market" assessment of the contribution of geniuses in the most different directions.

A little over a thousand of Edison's patents have generated several billion US dollars in profits; sulfonamides, antibiotics and vaccines have saved the lives and health of hundreds of millions of people; short-stemmed varieties have increased the yield of grain crops by tens of percent. Hardly anyone thinks that humanities geniuses were less valuable to humanity than geniuses-inventors or geniuses-scientists. And in this case, each realized genius brings billions of values ​​to humanity.

One can, of course, consider that art is unnecessary and has no material value, like the humanities; that scientific discoveries that do not give an immediate release into practice also have no material value, that most of the technical progress is the result of collective creativity, that the role of individual geniuses in the past was exaggerated, and now it is rapidly declining. But, no matter how skillfully the factual data are added - like an accordion, in a minimal volume - the geniuses of the recent past remain gigantic merits, and with the increase in the volume of knowledge, skills, abilities, information, only with which one can count on moving forward, the role of giftedness, of course , should increase.

This, in essence, is what our work is devoted to. We will try to show what, in our opinion, were the mechanisms of the development of genius, and we will do this in the form of the shortest biographical sketches, focusing on the internal mechanisms that stimulated the activity of a genius personality, on the specifics of the pathography of geniuses.

Long before the inexhaustible hereditary heterogeneity of mankind was shown, which is one of the basic laws of the formation of the biological species Nmosapiens, the remarkable Russian anthropologist J.Ya. Roginsky emphasized that the study of individual human psychology should "contribute to the development of various methods of pedagogical assistance in freeing the internal capabilities of his personality from everything that constrains them."

Forty years later, in connection with the onset of the era of the scientific and technological revolution, we can say that we are faced with the task of not only releasing the inner capabilities of a person, but also actively stimulating them.

giftedness genius creative child

Genius and insanity

In 1863, the Italian psychiatrist Cesare Lombroso published his book "Genius and Insanity" (Russian translation by K. Tetyushinova, 1892), in which he draws a parallel between great people and madmen. Here is what the author himself writes in the foreword of the book: “When, many years ago, being as if under the influence of ecstasy, during which the relationship between genius and madness seemed to me clearly in the mirror, I wrote the first chapters of this book in 12 days , then, I confess, even to me it was not clear to what serious practical conclusions the theory I created could lead. ... "

In his work, C. Lombroso writes about the physical similarity of genius people with madmen, about the influence of various phenomena (atmospheric, heredity, etc.) on genius and insanity, gives examples, numerous medical evidence about the presence of mental disorders in a number of writers, as well as describes the special features of genius people who suffered at the same time and insanity.

These features are as follows:

1. Some of these people showed an unnatural, too early development of genius abilities. For example, Ampere was already a good mathematician at the age of 13, and Pascal at the age of 10 came up with the theory of acoustics, based on the sounds produced by the cymbals when they are placed on the table.

2. Many of them were extremely addicted to drugs and alcoholic beverages. So, Haller absorbed a huge amount of opium, and, for example, Rousseau - coffee.

3. Many did not feel the need to work quietly in the quiet of their office, but as if they could not sit in one place and had to travel constantly.

4. No less often they also changed their professions and specialties, as if their powerful genius could not be content with some one science and fully express himself in it.

5. Such strong, addicted minds are passionately devoted to science and eagerly tackle the solution of the most difficult questions, as the most suitable, perhaps, for their painfully excited energy. In every science, they are able to grasp new outstanding features and on the basis of them build sometimes absurd conclusions.

6. All geniuses have their own special style, passionate, trembling, colorful, distinguishing them from other healthy writers and peculiar to them, perhaps precisely because it is developed under the influence of psychosis. This position is confirmed by their own recognition of such geniuses that all of them, after the end of ecstasy, are not able not only to compose, but also to think.

7. Almost all of them suffered deeply from religious doubts, which involuntarily presented themselves to their minds, while a timid conscience made them consider such doubts to be crimes. For example, Haller wrote in his diary: “My God! Send me just one drop of faith; my mind believes in you, but my heart does not share this belief - that is my crime. "

8. The main signs of the abnormality of these great people are already expressed in the very structure of their oral and written speech, in non-logical conclusions, in absurd contradictions. Was not Socrates, a genius thinker who foreseen Christian morality and Jewish monotheism, was not a madman when he was guided in his actions by the voice and instructions of his imaginary Genius, or even just by sneezing?

9. Almost all geniuses attached great importance to their dreams.

In the conclusion of his book, C. Lombroso, however, says that on the basis of the above, it is impossible to conclude that genius in general is nothing more than insanity. True, in the turbulent and anxious life of people of genius there are moments when these people represent similarities with madmen, and in mental activity and others there are many common features - for example, increased sensitivity, exaltation alternating with apathy, the originality of aesthetic works and the ability to discover, unconsciousness of creativity and extreme distraction, alcohol abuse and tremendous vanity. Among genius people there are madmen, and between madmen there are geniuses. But there were and still are many brilliant people in whom it is impossible to find the slightest signs of insanity.

If genius was always accompanied by madness, then how can one explain to oneself that Galileo, Kepler, Columbus, Voltaire, Napoleon, Michelangelo, Cavour, people of undoubted genius and, moreover, subjected to the most severe trials during their lives, never showed signs of insanity?

In addition, genius usually manifests itself much earlier than madness, which for the most part reaches its maximum development only after 35 years of age, while genius is revealed from childhood, and in his younger years it already appears with full force: Alexander the Great was at the peak of his fame in 20 years old, Charlemagne at 30 years old, Bonaparte at 26.

Further, while madness is more often than all other diseases inherited and, moreover, intensifies with each new generation, so that a brief fit of delirium that happened to the ancestor passes in the descendant into real madness, genius almost always dies along with the genius, and hereditary genius abilities, especially in several generations, are a rare exception. In addition, it should be noted that they are transmitted more often to the offspring of the male than the female, while insanity recognizes the complete equality of both sexes. Let us suppose that a genius can also be mistaken; let us suppose that he is always distinguished by originality; but neither delusion nor originality ever reaches with him a complete contradiction with himself or the obvious absurdity that so often happens to the mad.

Much more often we notice in them a lack of perseverance, diligence, firmness of character, attention, accuracy, memory - in general, the main qualities of a genius. And they remain for the most part their whole life lonely, uncommunicative, indifferent or insensitive to what worries the human race, as if they are surrounded by some special atmosphere that belongs to them alone. Is it possible to compare them with those great geniuses who calmly and with the consciousness of their own strengths unswervingly followed the different paths to their lofty goals, without losing heart in misfortunes and not allowing themselves to be carried away by any passion!

These were: Spinoza, Bacon, Galileo, Dante, Voltaire, Columbus, Machiavelli, Michelangelo. All of them were distinguished by a strong, but harmonious development of the skull, which proved the strength of their thinking abilities, restrained by a powerful will, but in none of them did the love of truth and beauty stifle the love of family and fatherland. They never betrayed their convictions and did not become renegades, they did not deviate from their goal, they did not abandon the business they had just begun. How much persistence, energy, tact they showed in carrying out the undertakings they had conceived, and what moderation, what solid character they distinguished in their lives!

The only favorite idea, which was the goal and happiness of their life, completely took possession of these great minds and, as it were, served as a guiding star for them. To accomplish their task, they did not spare any effort, did not stop at any obstacles, always remaining clear and calm. Their mistakes are too few to be pointed out, and even they are often of such a nature that they would pass for real discoveries among ordinary people. Between genius people there are madmen and between madmen there are geniuses. But there were and still are many brilliant people in whom you cannot find the slightest signs of insanity, with the exception of some abnormalities in the field of sensitivity.

Conclusion

Giftedness in its essence has two components:

1. Disposition to a specific area of ​​knowledge or human activity.

2. Ability for continuous self-improvement in this area.

The disposition can be both congenital and acquired or formed - pseudo-disposition. An example of an innate disposition is the fact that a person from birth shows abilities in this or that type of activity, for example, has the physical inclinations to play sports. Pseudo-location is formed mainly at an early age and depends on the environment in which a person grows up.

Self-improvement can also be divided into two types: self-improvement, which is based on internal motivation and interest, and self-improvement, which is based on external motivation.

Based on the foregoing, we can distinguish (we have identified) four groups:

1. Congenital disposition and intrinsic motivation.

2. Congenital disposition and extrinsic motivation.

3. Pseudo-disposition and intrinsic motivation.

4. Pseudo-disposition and extrinsic motivation.

At the same time, it is obvious that in itself the presence of hereditary giftedness, even of the highest level, does not at all guarantee a mandatory “entry into practice”. Let us repeat once again that modern population genetics completely excludes the possibility of the existence of significant interethnic, interracial and interclass differences in giftedness. Let us recall once again about the presence in history of "territorial" outbreaks of genius. It is unlikely that anyone will dispute the fact that there are peoples with a century and a thousand years of history, which have not given humanity a single truly brilliant discovery. No one doubts that potential geniuses in these peoples appeared thousands of times, but they did not have the conditions for development and realization.

The more obvious is the need to find out what the mechanisms of the development of genius are, and this can be determined with a high degree of accuracy by studying the various conditions in which the recognized geniuses of world history and culture developed, thanks to what circumstances and how they realized their genius and how this genius was reflected on the history and development of mankind.

Modern research shows that genius depends on upbringing and personal labor by a maximum of 20-30%. 80% is congenital! In other words, it is difficult to give birth to a genius, but impossible to educate.

And yet, the most complete and holistic view of the origins of genius is the view of esoteric teachings, asserting that the phenomenon of genius has a Divine Principle, which in genius has found an ideal vehicle for its expression. Here is what Lavater wrote about this:

“Whoever notices, perceives, contemplates, senses, thinks, speaks, acts, creates, composes, expresses, creates, compares, separates, connects, argues, guesses, conveys, thinks as if all this is dictated or inspired by a certain spirit, an invisible being of a higher kind, he has a genius, but if he does all this as if he himself is a being of a higher kind, then he is a genius. The hallmark of genius and all his deeds is the appearance; as the heavenly vision does not come, but appears, does not go away, but disappears, so the creations and deeds of genius. What is not learned, not borrowed, inimitable, the Divine is a genius, inspiration is a genius, it is called a genius among all peoples, at all times and will be called as long as people think, feel and speak. "


Bibliography

1. T. Alpatova. The Tragedy of Mozart. Literature, No. 10, 1996

2. Altshuller GS, Vertkin IM, How to become a genius. Life strategy of a creative personality, Minsk, “Belarus”, 1994, 480 p.

3. O. Bogdashkina. Asperger's Syndrome (Chapter 6) / Autism: Definition and Diagnosis., 2008

4. V.V. Klimenko How to Raise a Prodigy // SPb., "Crystal", 1996

5. Audiobook Cesare Lombroso "Genius and Insanity"

6. V.P. Efroimson. Genius. Genetics of genius // M., 2002.

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

Aristotle is an ancient Greek encyclopedist, philosopher and logician, the founder of classical (formal) logic. Considered one of the greatest geniuses in history and the most influential philosopher of antiquity. He made a huge contribution to the development of logic and natural sciences, especially astronomy, physics and biology. Although many of his scientific theories were disproved, they greatly contributed to the search for new hypotheses to explain them.

Archimedes (287-212 BC)


Archimedes is an ancient Greek mathematician, inventor, astronomer, physicist and engineer. Generally considered the greatest mathematician of all time and one of the leading scholars of the classical period of antiquity. Among his contributions to physics are the fundamental principles of hydrostatics, statics, and an explanation of the principle of action on a lever. He is credited with inventing innovative mechanisms, including siege engines and a screw pump named after him. Archimedes also invented the spiral that bears his name, formulas for calculating the volumes of surfaces of revolution, and an original system for expressing very large numbers.

Galileo (1564-1642)


In eighth place in the ranking of the greatest scientists in the history of the world is Galileo - an Italian physicist, astronomer, mathematician and philosopher. He was called "the father of observational astronomy" and "the father of modern physics." Galileo was the first to use a telescope to observe celestial bodies. Thanks to this, he made a number of outstanding astronomical discoveries, such as the discovery of the four largest moons of Jupiter, sunspots, the rotation of the Sun, and also found that Venus changes phases. He also invented the first thermometer (without a scale) and a proportional compass.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)


Michael Faraday is an English physicist and chemist, primarily known for the discovery of electromagnetic induction. Faraday also discovered the chemical action of current, diamagnetism, the effect of a magnetic field on light, and the laws of electrolysis. He also invented the first, albeit primitive, electric motor and the first transformer. He introduced the terms cathode, anode, ion, electrolyte, diamagnetism, dielectric, paramagnetism, etc. In 1824 he discovered the chemical elements benzene and isobutylene. Some historians consider Michael Faraday to be the best experimenter in the history of science.

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)


Thomas Alva Edison is an American inventor and businessman, founder of the prestigious scientific journal Science. He is considered one of the most prolific inventors of his time with a record number of patents granted in his name - 1,093 in the United States and 1,239 in other countries. Among his inventions are the creation in 1879 of an electric incandescent lamp, a system for distributing electricity to consumers, a phonograph, improvement of the telegraph, telephone, cinema equipment, etc.

Marie Curie (1867-1934)


Maria Sklodowska-Curie is a French physicist and chemist, teacher, public figure, pioneer in the field of radiology. The only female Nobel laureate in two different fields of science - physics and chemistry. First female professor to teach at the Sorbonne University. Her achievements include the development of a theory of radioactivity, methods for separating radioactive isotopes, and the discovery of two new chemical elements, radium and polonium. Marie Curie is one of the inventors who died from their inventions.

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)


Louis Pasteur is a French chemist and biologist, one of the founders of microbiology and immunology. He discovered the microbiological essence of fermentation and many human diseases. He initiated a new department of chemistry - stereochemistry. The most important achievement of Pasteur is considered to be work in bacteriology and virology, as a result of which the first vaccines against rabies and anthrax were created. His name is widely known thanks to the pasteurization technology he created and later named after him. All of Pasteur's works have become a vivid example of a combination of fundamental and applied research in the field of chemistry, anatomy and physics.

Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727)


Isaac Newton is an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, historian, Bible researcher and alchemist. He is the discoverer of the laws of motion. Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of universal gravitation, laid the foundations of classical mechanics, formulated the principle of conservation of momentum, laid the foundations of modern physical optics, built the first reflector telescope and developed the theory of color, formulated the empirical law of heat transfer, built the theory of the speed of sound, proclaimed the theory of the origin of stars and many other mathematical and physical theories. Newton was also the first to describe the phenomenon of tides mathematically.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)


The second place in the list of the greatest scientists in the history of the world is occupied by Albert Einstein - a German physicist of Jewish origin, one of the greatest theoretical physicists of the twentieth century, the creator of the general and special theory of relativity, discovered the law of the relationship between mass and energy, as well as many other significant physical theories. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. Author of over 300 scientific papers in physics and 150 books and articles in the field of history, philosophy, journalism, etc.

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)


There have been, are and will be many talented people in the world. They give the world new masterpieces, bring brilliant ideas to life and solve masterly riddles. No one knows, perhaps the children who are in schools today will become famous explorers tomorrow and find Atlantis, invent teleport portals, or discover new planets. But until now, there have been many outstanding personalities in history. Introducing the list of "The World's Most Talented People".

1.Gaius Julius Caesar (12-13 July 100 BC - 15 March 44 BC)

Julius Caesar is known to everyone. He was a talented commander, the smartest politician, a worthy emperor and a versatile personality. A lot of information about him has been preserved in ancient sources, a lot of artists dedicated their paintings to him, a lot of writers and poets depicted the life of Caesar in their creations. He introduced the Roman Empire into its heyday. An interesting fact about him: he knew how to do three things at the same time - write, talk and watch gladiator fights. The interesting thing is that until now no one can repeat these actions.

2. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (1452-1519)

The 15th century gave the world more than one outstanding talent, but the most famous of them is Leonardo da Vinci. Neither before nor after this genius has history met such versatile personalities. At one time he became famous all over the world not only as a brilliant artist, but also as a scientist, writer, musician, sculptor, inventor, engineer. They write about him in books, make films about him and tell epics to this day. Young Leonardo showed his talents early and went far in time from his era. He surpassed his teacher - the painter Verrocchio, and then created unique masterpieces such as "Mona Lisa", "Lady with an Ermine", "Madonna Litta". One of the most famous works of da Vinci is the drawing "Vitruvian Man". Many of his works are still fraught with unsolved mysteries and many secrets.

3. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the greatest composers in history. He created "new music" by abandoning all the traditions of the previous times. He went against the rules and showed the world new fusions of sounds, began to use hitherto forbidden intervals, became a famous master of polyphony. Bach is the first composer of the Baroque. He presented the world with more than 1000 completely new works in style.

4. Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)

Among the most talented people in the world, Katsushika Hokusai also found his place. He is one of the most prominent Chinese engravers and illustrators. During his life, he worked under more than 30 pseudonyms, which surpassed many of his colleagues. Anyone can distinguish his work from the rest by his special unique style. His most famous works are "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" and "Manga". Even modern art critics call "Mangu" the encyclopedia of Chinese life and consider it an invaluable cultural heritage.

5. Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)

Hardly anyone can imagine life without electricity. For this discovery, we should thank the Austrian physicist Nikola Tesla. He made a huge contribution to the development of science. Among the merits of the scientist is also work on the study of alternating current and ether. One of his most famous experiments was his work on the study of lightning. A unit of measurement of magnetic induction is named after him. It is thanks to this great scientist that people can use the power grid.

6. Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Among the famous scientists, Albert Einstein is far from the last place. He is an outstanding personality in the world of physics. This German scientist made an enormous contribution to the development of theoretical physics, became a Nobel Prize laureate. During his life, Albert Einstein wrote about 300 scientific papers, about a hundred books and articles on scientific topics. He became the founder of many theories, also foresaw gravitational waves and "quantum teleportation" in advance. In life, an outstanding physicist was a humanist and did not recognize evil until his death.

7. Coco Chanel (1883-1971)

Gabrielle Boner Chanel is one of the greatest women of the twentieth century, the world's most famous fashion designer, the founder of a new style for women, the founder of the Chanel fashion house. This woman brought something new to the world, never before seen. She dared to show the world something surprisingly daring and elegant. She is the first to "dress a woman in a man's suit". Coco Chanel is the first fashion designer to sew women's trousers. She also showed the world a female fitted jacket and a little black dress. Coco Chanel's fashion is still one of the most elegant and revered. She also invented her own perfume, Chanl No. 5. This fragrance became the most popular in the twentieth century, they were used by Marilyn Monroe, who also starred in their advertising.

8. Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

The list of "The most talented people in the world" undoubtedly includes Salvador Dali. This Spanish genius during his life managed to become a famous artist, original director, unique graphic artist, sculptor and writer. He is considered to be the most outstanding representative of surrealism. Looking at his works of art, you can easily break your head over thoughts of silhouettes, shapes, colors and subjects.

Salvador Dali is one of the unique geniuses that the world has not yet known. The most famous among his masterpieces are "Giraffe on Fire", "Venus with Boxes", "A Dream Inspired by the Flight of a Bee Just Before Awakening" and "The Persistence of Memory". Salvador Dali wrote several autobiographies, the most famous of which is "The Diary of a Genius".

9. Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962)

Norma Jeane Mortenson is known worldwide as Marilyn Monroe. This woman, during her, unfortunately, short life, managed to conquer the hearts of millions and remain in the memory of her fans for many years to come. Marilyn Moreau was a famous film actress and singer. She also earned the title of the sex symbol of the 1950s. Films with her participation collect crowds of viewers at the screens today, her talents are admired by fans, and many TV stars of our time are trying to imitate her manner of acting and behavior.

10. Montserrat Caballe (1933 - present)

The most talented person of our time is the Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballe. She became famous thanks to her unusually strong voice and special technique of bel canto performance. Montserrat has appeared in many operas in a wide variety of roles. One of the most famous songs is "Barcelona", performed together with the lead singer of the "Queen" group Freddie Murkyury. The opera singer is the owner of many awards and titles. Her talent is recognized all over the world and does not leave indifferent any connoisseur of beauty.

11. Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)

Jimi Hendrix is ​​an original rock musician, guitarist and virtuoso. This is the person who made all the canons of guitar music turn upside down. In 2009, he was officially recognized as the greatest guitarist of all time.

During his lifetime, he was called the genius of his craft. Jimi Hendrix changed the face of guitar rock and made the guitar sound new. This phenomenal musician has been admired and admired by many musicians, including Freddie Murkyury, Ritchie Blackmore and Kurt Cobain.