At all times, in every century, one could find a dozen of the smartest and most talented people. Their names will forever remain in history. Many writers and researchers tried to find the very "golden ten" of intellectuals. But every decade, another "nerd" appears on the horizon, which breaks any rating of the smartest people in the world. According to researchers, of course, there is a backbone of intellectuals who "rule the universe." At the moment, you can name the 10 smartest people in the modern world. But it should be borne in mind that in the next ten people are located not in descending order of the level of intelligence. These are the ten winners. It includes the smartest people in the world who have achieved success and earned universal respect.

Stephen Hawking

Probably, it makes no sense to tell the biography of this person, since she is known to everyone. Let's talk about his accomplishments. The smartest person in the world, a famous physicist and popularizer of science, made a lot of discoveries in his time. To this day, he continues to reveal his new crazy theories to the public.

One of his discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics was the concept of the past as a probability. Hawking believes that what has already happened has no definite image. Memories are a spectrum of possibilities and what exists now is like an uncertainty, just like the future.

The development of M-theory began in the 90s of the last century, but was later finalized by Hawking. This is the so-called string theory. It gives a description of our universe. The scientist claims that all the smallest particles contain multi-chamber membranes. Physical processes on the Earth depend on the properties of the latter. By the way, presumably, there is a huge number of universes where the laws that operate can be radically different from ours.

Another thought by Hawking led to the fact that the authorities of one of the cities in Italy banned aquariums with fish at the legislative level. The scientist is sure that it is impossible to know the true nature of reality, and therefore we, like fish in an aquarium, are doomed. As a reasonable person, Hawking is an atheist, and therefore one of his theories is that the universe gave birth to itself. And for this process, she did not need God.

Kim Ung-young

It is worth pointing out right away that this genius now has an IQ of 210. He is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. From three to six years old, Kim Ung-Yong managed to unlearn at Hanyang University. When he was five, he mastered a complex set of differential equations.

When the boy was 7 years old, he was called to NASA. Already on his fifteenth birthday, he received a doctorate in physical sciences and managed to work at the University of Colorado. After he decided to return to Korea, where he gave preference to design and construction. Now he works in a provincial university.

Paul Allen

Another genius, which can rightfully be considered unrecognized. With his school friend Bill Gates, he once founded Microsoft. His task was the development and technical ideas. Gates, in turn, was engaged in the organizational sphere.

In the early 1980s, doctors diagnosed Paul with Hodgkin's disease. The scientist decided to leave the corporation, but retain his seat on the board of directors. For 20 years, Allen tried to organize his business and bought many small companies, which later had to be closed. In 2000, he finally left the corporation, but remained there as a strategy consultant. His friend Gates is still his mainstay for 40 years.

Garry Kasparov

Well, who does not know the great chess player? Harry is called "great and terrible" behind his back, implying his power and strength. He has a great playing career behind him. At one time, he became the owner of the title of world champion 13 times, 8 times became the winner of chess Olympiads, 11 times he received the so-called chess Oscar.

The first and significant achievement of Kasparov was the championship of the USSR at the age of 12. Already at 17 he became a master of sports. His trainer and best friend was his mother, who, after the death of Harry's father, gave her life to her son. She also accepted his decision to change the Jewish surname Weinstein to Armenian - Kasparov. Since 2005, Garry has been an oppositionist in the Russian Federation.

Andrew John Wiles

Until March 2016, not the whole world knew about him. Wiles is a mathematical genius. Works at Princeton University. At the age of 22, he already had a doctorate, and for a long time was a junior researcher. Already at the age of 10, the future scientist learned about Fermat's Last Theorem and tried to prove it. Naturally, with the help of school textbooks and the methods that were given there. He, of course, did nothing. Therefore, later he began to study the work of researchers who had previously been engaged in the proof of this theorem. When he entered college, Wiles abandoned the idea.

After studying elliptic curves in 1986, Andrew returned to his childhood dream. Already in March 2016, Andrew John Wiles was awarded the Abel Prize and a cash prize of 700 thousand dollars for being able to prove Fermat's theorem.

Christopher Hirata

This young astrophysicist with an IQ of 225 became famous at the age of 13. At this age, he won the International Physics Olympiad. It happened in 1996. From the age of 14 to 16, he studied at the California Institute of Technology.

At 16, Hirata worked for NASA with the Mars colonization project. At 22, he received his PhD in physics from Princeton University. He currently holds a position at The Ohio State University. The scientist is a professor of physics and astronomy.

Terence Chi Shen Tao

For three years, the mathematician became a member of the Royal Society of London, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the US National Academy of Sciences. He began to show his mental abilities from the age of 9. Showed stunning results in the math section. A year later, he took part in the International Mathematical Olympiad. When he turned 13, he took the "gold" place. At the age of 20, he received his doctorate and began working at the University of California.

James Woods

smartest actor. At one time he graduated from the University of California with a degree in linear algebra. After he was enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he soon dropped out. The intellectual actor decided to devote his life to cinema. Now he has three Emmy awards and two Oscar nominations. Woods' example proves that not all the smartest people in the world work as scientists and researchers. Among them there are also people of art.

Marilyn vos Savant

The woman is a famous American playwright and writer. Already at the age of 10, the IQ of an American woman reached 228. The husband of the most intelligent woman created an artificial heart, but could not catch up with his wife - his IQ is 180. Marilyn is sure that the truth can only be known by depriving the mind of all emotions and prejudices. Therefore, art for a woman is only a manifestation of feelings, but the intellectual disciplines that she loves are nuclear physics and mathematics.

Daniela Simidcheva

Another candidate who has found her place in the ranking, which includes the smartest people in the world. Many consider her IQ level, which is 192 out of 200, to be the highest. Although there are values ​​above 210, Daniela's scores refer to the Mens Standardized Test.

Bulgarian Simidcheva is a master of economic and social sciences, a bachelor's degree in electronics and automation. He also has a diploma in English philology and many certificates from abroad. The main education for Daniela was economics, but she received the rest in absentia or remotely. Now he is an employee of the Bulgarian Economic Chamber.

smart women in history

The smartest people in the world are not only men. As you can see, women are also famous for their skills and can give odds to many scientists - representatives of the stronger sex. For example, Hypatia of Alexandria. Thanks to her father, she received a better education and became the most intelligent woman of the Ancient World, an expert in philosophy. Created an astrolabe - an ancient computer. That is how this invention is called today.

Another smart woman is Maria Kunits. She was an astronomer and did a lot for her time. The intellectual girl spoke several foreign languages ​​and owned musical instruments. In the 17th century it was famous for its horoscopes. But Sofia Kovalevskaya became the first female professor of mathematics. At the same time, she was popular for her works in the field of philosophy and literature. Marie Skłodowska-Curie is a brain woman. Now she is the only scientist in the world who was awarded two Nobel Prizes: in physics and chemistry. Thanks to Mary, the world learned about a chemical element called radium.

Peace

The smartest people in the world in history have amazed and made shocking discoveries. These include more than a dozen talented minds who bit by bit created modern science. These include Plato with his philosophies, Aristotle, known for his political and philosophical judgments, Archimedes, who made many discoveries in geometry and mechanics.

Do not forget the no less famous Leonardo da Vinci, who was comprehensively developed and was engaged not only in mechanics, but was also a great artist, physician, writer and philosopher. Nikola Tesla, who solved the riddle of alternating current, Newton, who discovered the law of gravity, Einstein with his theory of relativity, also got into the rating of the smartest people in the world.

It is impossible to answer the question of what is the smartest person in the world. Every decade, at least one individual with genius abilities is born. Compiling the top of the smartest people in the world is also a thankless task, because each of the above people has made a significant contribution to a particular area of ​​​​science and art.

Most of what the whole world knows and can do today was once invented by the greatest and most brilliant minds of mankind. Artists, alchemists, presidents, physicists and generals - the scale of the intellect of these people could change the worldview of all mankind and make our life a little better. These 10 historical figures are unanimously considered the smartest people in history.

Leonardo da Vinci

The life of this genius was full of discoveries and research. The Italian master was born on April 15, 1452, and already in childhood he demonstrated unique abilities. Da Vinci was an excellent artist, chemist and mathematician - the list of his achievements is replenished to this day. Here are just some of his inventions, both real and attributed to him: a parachute, a bicycle, a tank, a searchlight, a catapult, a telescope and dozens of other inventions no less futuristic for their time. In addition, da Vinci left to the world a number of true masterpieces of painting, such as the Gioconda and The Last Supper.



Alexander the Great

If a person has been called "great" for thousands of years, then he really deserves it. The hereditary ruler of Macedonia, a small country in the Balkans, managed to gather under his command the most powerful army in the world and conquer as much land as no one before him could manage. However, the achievements of the commander were called into question by ancient philosophers who did not see the greatness of glory in the capture of new lands. Seneca called Alexander an unfortunate man who was driven into unknown lands by a passion for ambition and cruelty, and who tried to subdue everything except passions, for from the sciences he had to learn "how small the earth, whose insignificant part he captured."



Michelangelo

Just like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo was able to reach incredible heights in art, for which he received recognition during his lifetime. Michelangelo's frescoes adorned the walls of the best buildings of his era - for the first time in history, the author comprehended the architectural space as an artist's canvas. The genius of Michelangelo left an imprint not only on the art of the Renaissance, but also on all further world culture. At the same time, Michelangelo wrote no less wonderful poems. Michelangelo's poetic talent manifested itself in full only at the end of his life. Some of the great master's poems were set to music and gained considerable popularity during his lifetime, but for the first time his sonnets and madrigals were published only in 1623. About 300 poems by Michelangelo have survived to this day.



William Shakespeare

The first professional playwright in history established such a high level of quality from the outset that it remains relevant to this day. Without even a formal university education, Shakespeare created literary masterpieces that forever entered the history of mankind. The works that have come down to us, including some written jointly with other authors, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 4 poems and 3 epitaphs. Shakespeare's plays have been translated into every major language and are staged more often than the works of other playwrights.



Voltaire

Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, was born in Paris in 1694. Considered one of the most powerful minds of his time, he left an incredibly prolific legacy of many scientific and philosophical treatises. Throughout his life, Voltaire vigorously defended the distinction between natural science and philosophy, which marked the beginning of the modern differentiation of sciences.



Galileo Galilei

Engineer, physicist, mechanic, astronomer, philosopher and mathematician Galileo Galilei had an incredibly strong influence on science. The invention of the telescope and the discoveries made with its help contributed to the establishment of the heliocentric system of the world, which Galileo actively promoted. In fact, Galileo proved to the world that the Earth does not stand still, but, together with other planets, revolves around the sun.



Gottfried Leibniz

Gottfried Leibniz is a German philosopher and logician who laid the foundations of modern mathematics. The principles of differential and integral calculus have become basic for all scientists of subsequent generations. In 1676, Leibniz founded a new formulation of the laws of motion - dynamics, in which he first studied kinetic energy and its interactions.



Sir Isaac Newton

Powerful intellect, participation in the affairs of the state and world-class scientific discoveries - for Sir Isaac Newton is nothing more than commonplace. Newton's mind worked brilliantly - he outlined the law of universal gravitation and the three laws of mechanics, which became the basis of classical mechanics, developed differential and integral calculus, color theory, laid the foundations of modern physical optics, and created many other mathematical and physical theories.



Albert Einstein

The name of Albert Einstein today is virtually synonymous with genius. Einstein is the author of more than 300 scientific papers in physics, as well as about 150 books and articles in the history and philosophy of science. He developed several significant physical theories, including the famous theory of relativity, in which he first described the interaction of mass and energy in the famous formula E = mc2.



Nikola Tesla

The lightning lord Nikola Tesla was born in 1856 in Croatia. His experiments with alternating current laid the foundations of modern electrical engineering. Tesla developed many alternating current devices, polyphase systems, synchronous generators and induction motors, which made it possible to accomplish the so-called second stage of the industrial revolution.

There are many factors to consider when talking about something or someone. For example, who can be said to be the smartest person in the world? The tallest can be measured, the heaviest can be weighed. And how to determine the degree of intelligence? Many are guided by IQ.

The smartest people in the world

However, many believe that assessing a person's mind by IQ is the wrong tactic. Perhaps the title of a real intellectual deserves the one who made a revolutionary discovery in the field of science? Or the one who solved the problem that haunted the great minds of the whole world for a whole century? If so, then perhaps the smartest person in the world is our compatriot, Grigory Perelman.

Many tried to solve it, but only Perelman was able to do this, posting materials on the Internet in 2003 that are the right solution. However, this fact is not at all interesting, although it also chills attention. Absolutely everyone was amazed by the fact that he refused a well-deserved award - one million dollars (this money was allocated by the Clay Institute of Mathematics). And this despite the fact that Perelman lives in an apartment in which, according to the neighbors, there is nothing more than a table, a chair, an old mattress and crowds of cockroaches. But what to do, they are the smartest people!

The brain is the most unknown and most unique organ of the human body. It is not known for certain that the genius, due to the peculiarity of the brain, is influenced by certain factors, whether it be heredity, education or environment. Let scientists argue about it and write dissertations. This article will list just some of the smartest people in the world. Brilliant people were born in antiquity and the Middle Ages, they are born in our days. Surely, among us there are more gifted people, but they are either not so famous, or simply do not want to publicly demonstrate their intellectual features. Our rating Top 10 smartest people in the world based on IQ test results.

1. Terence Tao - iq 230

Terence Tao is the smartest person in the world, with an iq of 230. Even as a very young boy, at the age of 2, Terence could easily cope with the simplest arithmetic operations and speak English without difficulty, and by the age of 5 he was performing difficult mathematical missions. By the age of 9, the boy is an active listener at lectures on higher mathematics and three years later he takes part in the International Mathematics Olympiad. At the age of 20, the young man receives the status of a doctor at Princeton University, and at the age of 24 he receives the category of professor and works at one of the universities in Los Angeles. Terence Tao is the author of about 250 scientific works.

2. Christopher Hirata - iq 225

Christopher Hirata passed an iq test of 225, making him the second smartest person on the planet. Already at the age of 14, he manages to become a student at the California Institute of Technology, and two years later he becomes a member of NASA and is working on the development of the Red Planet. At 22, Christopher Hirata defends his doctoral dissertation and becomes a doctor of science in astrophysics. There is one bright spot in the biography of Christopher Hirat - this is his passion for astrophysics. He works in the field of dark energy, gravitational lenses and other tempting areas of the unique science of astrophysics.

3. Kim Ung-Yong - iq 210

This incredibly smart man is a native of Korea. He holds the record for genius quotient in the Guinness Book of World Records. While still a child, at the age of 2 he was fluent in two languages, at 4 he easily coped with difficult mathematical exercises. NASA could not lose sight of this talent, as a result of the brilliant Kim Ung-Yong, at the age of 8, he was invited to continue his education and development in the United States.

4. Evangelos Katsuolis - iq 198

Evangelos Katsuolis is a Greek by nationality and one of the smartest people on the planet. He is known to the world as an excellent practicing psychiatrist. More than one patient passed through his skillful hands, and Evangelos Katsuolis is trying to help everyone. In addition to psychiatry, the doctor has degrees in philosophy, medical research technology and psychopharmacology. There is reliably unverified information that Katsuolis scored 258 points in one of the tests in terms of intelligence.

Talented people are talented in everything, or at least in many ways: Katsuolis paints beautifully and swims superbly, in addition, the doctor loves to travel.

5. Christopher Michael Langan - iq 195

This gifted American man started talking at the age of six months. At the age of 3, he independently took a primer and began to learn to read. Christopher confidently assures the whole world that self-study is his primary activity behind the school bench: he mastered mathematics, philosophy, physics without outside help, and also learned Latin and Greek. In the United States, for many years he was considered one of the most highly intelligent people, since his iq ranged from 195 to 210 points. Christopher Michael Langan lived almost his entire conscious life in two parallel realities - during the day he was engaged in truly masculine professions from a bouncer to a fireman, and at night he worked on the Theory of Interaction of Mind with Reality. He will be remembered by the world as an outstanding astrophysicist.

6. Rick Rosner - iq 192

Not all brilliant personalities deserve great success in their professional activities. And Rick Rosner, the one exception to the rule. Before the man came to work as a television scriptwriter, he had a career in low-budget specialties, from a simple doorman to a stripper in a nightclub. Nevertheless, Rick was repeatedly tested for intelligence and he deservedly received an official certificate confirming his high mental potential.

7. Philip Emegvali - iq 190

Seventh place among the most intelligent people goes to Philip Emegwali, who glorified Nigeria in the field of electronics and electrical engineering. In 1989, the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers nominated Philip Yemegwali for the prestigious Gordon Bell Award. Her Nigerian scientist was awarded for the invention of a supercomputer, consisting of 65,000 parallel processors. With the help of such a device, the scientist could observe and study the oil fields.

8. Garry Kasparov - iq 190

This man is famous for having won the title of world chess champion in 1985, at the age of 22! In the final, he surpassed the reigning board game champion Anatoly Karpov. The owner of such a high IQ was not afraid to challenge the computer to a chess game. In 2003, a unique chess duel was held by Garry Kasparov against a computer that can process three million combinations per second. The result of the game is a fighting draw.

9. Isaac Newton - iq 190

Few will doubt that this owner of such a high IQ is one of the most prominent scientists in the history of mankind. Isaac Newton discovered the Law of Attraction. On this occasion, there is a well-known legend about an apple that fell on a scientist. Isaac Newton is rightfully considered the founder of classical physics and mechanics. From school, we all know the famous laws of Newton. In addition, the scientist is the founder of the science of natural science. If our rating of the smartest people in the world was compiled on the basis of achievements, then Isaac Newton could deservedly take first place.

10. James Woods - iq 180

The 10th smartest person in the world in terms of IQ goes to James Woods. In the treasury of the achievements of this brilliant man, there are three Emmy awards and two Oscar nominations. But even before James Woods became a talented actor, he proved himself to be an equally talented student. At the University of California, the young man attends lectures on linear algebra, and then is invited to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Here, a brilliant young man decides to stop studying politics and dedicate himself to high art in the field of cinema.

Not so long ago, I was able to completely solve a crossword puzzle. Almost completely - only 3 or 4 words remained unsolved. I was proud of this achievement, told my friends about it (yes, all two) and even thought about getting a tattoo in honor of this event. But the moment I decided to edit the Wikipedia article about the smartest person on the planet, I was disappointed. Disappointment dug into my ankle, growled and tore my pants: after seeing the biographies of other great people of the planet, I realized that the main achievement of my life is somewhat inferior to the accomplishments of other smart people. I had no choice but to talk about the 10 greatest geniuses of mankind.

Rating of the most brilliant scientists

Years of life: 11/07/1867 - 07/04/1934 (66 years old)

Maria's maiden name, Skłodowska, is of Polish origin. Curie is the surname of her husband, Pierre Curie, who died in 1906 (they were married for 11 years). After the death of her husband, Maria began to devote more time to work, studying radioactive radiation. During the First World War, she taught doctors how to use X-rays to take pictures.

Maria is undoubtedly the most famous and female scientist. She is the first and, to date, the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice. One of the chemical elements, curium (Ci), is named after the Curie couple. Unfortunately, long-term experiments with radioactive uranium did not go unnoticed - radiation sickness led to the death of Marie Curie from leukemia.

9th place. Stephen Hawking

Year of birth: 01/08/1942 (aged 73)

Hawking is the only living member of this rating. He graduated from Oxford and Cambridge and is a professor of mathematics and theoretical physicist, as well as the founder of the science of quantum cosmology. For his achievements in the field of science, he received a total of 25 medals and awards. He studied the theory of the Big Bang and the nature of the origin of black holes, in which he achieved some success.

Around the age of 20, Hawking began to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as a result of which he was confined to a wheelchair. He was completely paralyzed and Hawking has to communicate with those around him with the help of a special speech synthesizer that reacts to the facial expressions of the cheek, which has retained mobility. In the same way, this scientist can use a computer. This circumstance probably played a role in Hawking's popularity - his outstanding work against the backdrop of such a depressing illness is admirable.

Stephen Hawking made a lot of efforts to popularize science. It is no wonder that he is so fond of being mentioned in various popular TV shows: Hawking voiced himself in several episodes of The Simpsons and Futurama, appeared twice in the TV series The Big Bang Theory and other shows less known to the domestic audience. And in 2015, Eddie Redmayne won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role as young Steven in the film The Universe of Stephen Hawking. So Hawking is undoubtedly the most popular modern scientist.

8. Plato

Years of life: 427 BC - 347 BC (80 years old)

Plato, the famous philosopher of antiquity, was noted for opening the Academy in Athens - the first higher educational institution among Western civilizations. Aristotle was one of the first students of this Academy. It studied not only philosophy: special attention was paid to mathematics and astronomy, a little less to the natural sciences.

To bring the education system to a new level, which gave birth to many outstanding minds in Greek, and later in Roman culture, and contributed to the development of mathematics, is no doubt a significant merit. Over the past century, Plato's philosophical ideas have often been subject to criticism, although they still have their followers. For example, the doctrine of the immortal soul was reflected in many common Christian religions.

7th place. Aristotle

Years of life: 384 BC - 322 BC (62 years old)

It seems not logical - in 7th place is Aristotle, in 8th - his teacher, Plato. In fact, everything is very logical - Aristotle's contribution to science was more multifaceted. Plato was an ancient thinker, focusing almost all his attention on politics, sociology and, of course, philosophy.

Aristotle went further - he began to pay attention to physics, having written several works in this area, he studied sociology. Aristotle laid down the general principles of logic that are still used today. It was he who introduced the concepts of ethics and ethics. Also, Aristotle did not hesitate to question some of the concepts of Plato, for example, arguing about the inseparability of the soul and body. Another significant item in Aristotle's resume is that he was one of the mentors of Alexander the Great.

6th place. Archimedes

Years of life: 287 BC - 212 BC (75 years old)

Unlike the comrades we mentioned above, Archimedes was not a philosopher - he was engaged in mathematics, physics, and engineering. He owns a lot of discoveries in the field of geometry and mechanics. The ideas of Archimedes surprised his contemporaries a lot, thanks to which amazing rumors circulated about him during his lifetime.

It is he who is credited with the saying "Give me a fulcrum, and I will turn the whole world upside down." According to another popular legend, Archimedes figured out how to measure the volume of the crown when he immersed himself in a bathtub, displacing water from it. With a cry of "Eureka!" the scientist jumped naked into the street to test his guess as soon as possible.

The older generation remembers an excellent and rather informative Soviet cartoon about Archimedes:

The historian Plutarch details how the Romans laid siege to Archimedes' hometown of Syracuse. With the help of the machines invented by Archimedes, it was possible to repulse any attacks of the Roman troops from land and sea: powerful stone throwers threw the attackers at short and long distances, and special cranes picked up and threw enemy ships.

As a result, the assault failed and the Roman troops had to go over to the siege. In the autumn of 2012 BC. the city fell and Archimedes himself was killed. How exactly this happened is unknown - there are several different stories about the death of the great scientist. But everyone agrees that the consul Marcellus, who commanded the Roman legions, did not want the death of the old man, realizing what a priceless treasure his mind is.

5th place. Galileo Galilei

Years of life: 02/15/1564 - 01/08/1642 (77 years old)

Galileo is perceived by many as a symbol of the confrontation between science and the church. In many ways, this was true - Galileo defended the idea that the Earth, along with other planets, moves around the Sun, while it remains motionless. Copernicus first came to this, but his teaching was banned by the Catholic Church. Under the pressure of the Inquisition, Galileo had to “repent” and defend the truth more carefully so as not to formally violate the ban.

Galileo was the first to use a telescope to observe celestial bodies. He was able to detect the moons of Jupiter, sunspots and discover the fact that the Sun rotates on its axis. This discovery prompted Galileo to put forward the hypothesis that the Earth rotates on its axis in the same way - this seemed more logical than the idea that the entire Universe makes a complete revolution around our planet in a day.

In addition to the telescope, Galileo also has other inventions: the first thermometer, a microscope (though relatively primitive), and a proportional compass. Galileo was fond of not only astronomy, but also physics, was interested in optics and acoustics. He was the first to experimentally establish the density of air (not entirely accurate, but close to the truth).

Einstein and Stephen Hawking expressed the idea that Galileo is the father of modern science. His confrontation with church dogmas allowed many generations of scientists to believe that a person can understand the foundations of the universe. Although Galileo remained a Catholic, he did not change his other faith - in what he considered true. And some of his works became the basis for Newton's discoveries.

4th place. Leonardo da Vinci

Years of life: 04/15/1452 - 05/02/1519 (67 years old)

Leonardo da Vinci is the only representative of our rating whose main activity was not science. It was tempting to think of another great master, Michelangelo, but da Vinci certainly more than deserved his place in the ranking of the smartest. Although, in the first place, Leonardo became famous as an artist, he turned out to be a comprehensively developed personality (pardon the cliché): in addition to art, da Vinci was fond of mechanics, anatomy, medicine, literature and philosophy.

The most famous paintings by Leonardo: "La Gioconda" (Mona Lisa) and "The Last Supper". He painted in the genre of realism and was able to take this one to a new level by introducing certain innovations into it.

Leonardo was also an inventor. For a long time he worked on an aircraft that could rise and fall vertically. In his drafts, da Vinci outlined an idea that is now implemented in an airplane. The low quality of the materials available at that time did not allow him to create a working model of such a device. In our time, Leonardo is often portrayed as a kind of visionary genius who believed that science allows you to do real magic and achieve the impossible.

Here are some of da Vinci's other inventions: a parachute, a wheel-lock pistol, a bicycle, light portable bridges for the needs of the army, a two-lens telescope, and even a prototype tank. Yes, maybe Edison boasts a long list of inventions, but think about it - Leonardo was able to come up with all this 500 years ago, even before the advent of Galileo, at a time when the Inquisition ruled many processes in Europe, and serious scientific discoveries could be counted on the fingers.

3rd place. Nikola Tesla

Years of life: 07/10/1856 - 01/07/1943 (86 years old)

He was born on the territory of modern Croatia, but at the end of the 19th century he immigrated to the USA (Tesla is a Serb by nationality). It was he who became the man who brought alternating current into our world. The "war of currents" lasted for a long 100 years, until in 2007 Edison's direct current was finally defeated - New York completely switched to alternating current. And throughout the world, alternating current is most often used for transmission over long distances.

Tesla was the first to develop electric generators, modernized prototypes of which are used today. Nikola also contributed to the development of radio and radio-controlled technology. It was he who was the first to provide wireless current transmission - this technology has only recently begun to be put into practice (wireless chargers).

I almost forgot - once in the 30s, Tesla made an electric car

Nikola Tesla can deservedly be considered the most mysterious person in the scientific world, whose name is shrouded in a large number of legends and rumors. Some legends even attribute to him the explosion of the Tunguska meteorite (of course, in fact not a meteorite). Meanwhile, such an aura of mystery is not only the merit of the entertainment industry. Tesla had enough of his "cockroaches in his head":

• He was fanatically obsessed with cleanliness;
• He did not like women's earrings, especially with pearls;
• He had an amazing intuition - once he dissuaded his friends from getting on a train, which later went off the rails;
• Slept only a few hours a day;
• Settled only in those hotel rooms that are divided by 3;
• Walking along the street, he could do somersaults simply because of a good mood;
• He did not know how and could not work in a team;
• He did not build romantic relationships with women (as well as with men) - he was a virgin;
• On a walk, he liked to count the number of his steps, during lunch - the number of pieces of food, the volume of coffee cups or bowls of soup. If he failed to do this, he did not enjoy food.

This guy created the world we live in now. Do you know why? Without any benefit - just to make life more pleasant.

I think that this image will seem familiar to fans - they are such eccentric geniuses. Tesla has long been the most famous inventor and scientist not only in the United States, but throughout the world - and can still claim this title.

2nd place. Isaac Newton

Years of life: 01/04/1643 - 03/31/1727 (84 years old)

Isaac Newton studied physics, astronomy, mechanics and mathematics. It was he who brought physics into its "classical" form, dotting the "i" in many issues. In this Newton was helped by the work of his predecessors, especially Galileo. To describe all the work done by Newton would require a separate article, no less than this one.

The secret of his success was that Newton rejected the method of scientific research practiced for centuries with the help of logical guesses and constructions - this practice gave rise to many far-fetched theories. Instead, Newton developed and refined powerful mathematical methods of analysis (functions, differential equations, integrals) and viewed physics through the prism of mathematics, not philosophy.

As a result, Newton was able to combine all the scientific experience that existed before him and supplement the missing elements. So the law of gravity and the law of motion (Newton's second law) were formulated from beginning to end. These important discoveries were able to explain a lot in astronomy and mechanics.

Newton devoted a lot of energy to research in the field of optics. He was able to create the first mirror telescope (reflector), which made it possible to achieve a sharper and clearer image than his lens predecessors. Newton was one of the first to consider optics as a science and build its evidence base: with formulas, explanations and proofs - before that, optics was just a set of facts.

Isaac was able to understand the nature of light and color. He was the first to understand and prove that the white color is not primary, but consists of a spectrum of all other colors - more precisely, from waves with different degrees of refraction. He published 3 books on optics, which explained the basic principles and concepts of dispersion, interference, diffraction and polarization of light.

It is curious that Newton was a deeply religious person. At the same time, he considered the Bible from a rational point of view, not embarrassed to question many church dogmas. Isaac rejected the doctrine of the Trinity (which he did not widely advertise in order not to have unnecessary problems with the law), studied the Hebrew language in order to independently study the Bible, published his interpretation of the book of Revelation and the chronology of biblical events, which he made based on his own research. According to his chronology, the end of the world was supposed to come no earlier than 2060.

The above list is far from all the achievements of this scientist, who lived 300 years ago, and, not having a computer with the Internet at hand, possessed knowledge that most of us did not even dream of.

1st place. Albert Einstein

Years of life: 03/14/1879 - 04/18/1955 (76 years old)

At the end of the 19th century, no one really aspired to be a theoretical physicist. After old Newton blew most of the white spots to smithereens, it seemed that physics became simple and understandable. It remained to deal with some minor issues, streamline everything and send out resumes in search of a new job. And everything was fine until the next problem with the speed of light was discovered.

At that time it was known that light is an electromagnetic wave. Consequently, the speed of its propagation was calculated using Maxwell's equations. And what happens if you try to calculate the speed of light of a spotlight that is on a moving train? Newtonian mechanics suggests the obvious answer - you need to add both speeds. But Maxwell's equations did not confirm such a result, depriving physicists of night rest and slipping them mountains of contradictions.

Repeated attempts by the scientific community to unravel the riddle did not bring results - Newton's proven and reliable mechanics were not questioned, and efforts to upgrade Maxwell's equations turned out to be fruitless. And only old Einstein figured it out and decided: probably, Maxwell's equations are correct - it was Newton who screwed up somewhere. Questioning Newton's mechanics is like criticizing the multiplication table - it seemed like an absolutely crazy idea. But non-standard thinking allowed Einstein to issue the special theory of relativity (SRT), which put everything in its place.

According to it, all physical processes in an irrational frame of reference occur in the same way, regardless of whether this frame is stationary or in a state of uniform rectilinear motion. To put it simply, the speed of the searchlight on the train will be the same for the train driver, for the person left on the platform of the station, and for the searchlight itself - for everything in the world. It will always be equal to the speed of light, no matter how fast the spotlight moves. Also, based on SRT, there is a maximum allowable speed (the speed of light).

To be honest, the very essence of SRT is explained here extremely superficially and partially - perhaps only a few people can actually understand and formulate all the postulates of this theory. If you want to understand - the Internet to help. SRT gave rise to a certain number of paradoxes, which Einstein was able to explain in general relativity(OTO).

Among other achievements, Albert Einstein was noted for his contribution to the development of quantum physics, discovered the existence of induced radiation, which formed the basis for the creation of lasers, and received the Nobel Prize in 1922 for the theory of the photoelectric effect (SRT at that time was often criticized and was not universally recognized). Albert was also noted for a number of different inventions.

Despite significant achievements in science, Einstein remained a simple, friendly and sociable person with a good sense of humor. He positioned himself as a pacifist, speaking out more than once against fascism, violence and all kinds of injustice. The great scientist bequeathed after his death to celebrate a quiet funeral without publicity and magnificent ceremonies - he was an opponent of the personality cult. Only 12 of his closest friends attended the funeral ceremony. The body was cremated and the ashes scattered.