Meet William James Sydis, the “smartest man who lived.” Sydis’ IQ score is estimated by some, to be somewhere between 50 and 100 points greater than that of Albert Einstein. By the time he was just 18 months old, Sydis was able to read The New York Times. At age 2, he taught himself Latin, and by age 6, he was fluent in eight languages, including Greek, French, Russian, German, and Hebrew. Sidis is not a household name, but he was an extraordinary individual whose brilliance often went unnoticed. Let’s explore the life of one of the most enigmatic and misunderstood prodigies of the 20th century, along with Albert Einstein, and the history of IQ testing. It’s a battle of the brains today on Found Objects podcast.

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SOURCES:

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Anglis, Jaclyn. “The Surprisingly Tragic Story of the Smartest Man Who Ever Lived.” All That’s Interesting, All That’s Interesting, 2 June 2024, allthatsinteresting.com/william-james-sidis.

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