The world is full of brilliant minds that have contributed to various fields of human endeavor. From science and technology to art and literature, these geniuses have pushed the boundaries of knowledge and creativity. But who are the top 10 living geniuses? Here is a list based on some criteria such as popular acclaim, intellectual power, achievement and cultural importance.
Top 10 Living Geniuses in World Ever
1. Tim Berners-Lee
Tim Berners-Lee is widely regarded as the inventor of the World Wide Web, the global system of interconnected documents and resources that we use every day. He proposed the idea in 1989 while working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and implemented the first web browser and server in 1990. He also created the standards for HTML, HTTP and URL, which are essential for web development. Berners-Lee is currently the director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which oversees the development of web standards and protocols. He is also a professor at MIT and Oxford University, and a co-founder of the Web Foundation, which promotes a free and open web for everyone. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Turing Award, the Nobel Peace Prize and the Order of Merit.
2. Grigory Perelman
Grigory Perelman is a Russian mathematician who solved one of the most famous and difficult problems in mathematics: the Poincaré conjecture. The conjecture, posed by Henri Poincaré in 1904, states that any three-dimensional shape without holes can be stretched or shrunk into a sphere. The problem remained unsolved for a century until Perelman published a series of papers in 2002 and 2003 that proved it using a technique called Ricci flow. Perelman’s proof was verified by other mathematicians and he was awarded the Fields Medal, the highest honor in mathematics, in 2006. However, he declined to accept the prize and also rejected a $1 million reward from the Clay Mathematics Institute for solving one of the Millennium Prize Problems. Perelman lives a reclusive life in St. Petersburg and has not published any new work since 2003.
3. Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous physicists of all time. He is known for his groundbreaking work on black holes, cosmology and quantum gravity. He also popularized science with his best-selling books such as A Brief History of Time and The Universe in a Nutshell. Hawking suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease that has paralyzed him since his early twenties. He communicates using a speech-generating device that he controls with his cheek muscles. Despite his physical limitations, he has continued to pursue his scientific research and public engagements. He has received many awards and honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Copley Medal and the Albert Einstein Award.
4. Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is a global icon of peace and justice. He was the leader of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and spent 27 years in prison for his political activities. He was released in 1990 and became the first democratically elected president of South Africa in 1994. He led the country’s transition from racial segregation to multiracial democracy and reconciliation. He also championed human rights, education and health causes around the world. He received more than 250 awards and honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Gandhi Peace Prize and the Congressional Gold Medal. He died in 2013 at the age of 95.
5. Matt Groening
Matt Groening is the creator of The Simpsons, the longest-running animated sitcom in history. The show, which debuted in 1989, satirizes American culture, politics and society through the adventures of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson and their friends and neighbors in Springfield. The show has won numerous awards, including 34 Emmys, 34 Annie Awards and a Peabody Award. It has also spawned a feature film, video games, comics, merchandise and a theme park attraction. Groening is also the creator of Futurama, another animated sci-fi comedy series that ran from 1999 to 2013, and Disenchantment, a fantasy comedy series that premiered on Netflix in 2018.
6. Margaret Turnbull
Margaret Turnbull is an astrobiologist who specializes in searching for habitable planets and extraterrestrial life. She is the co-founder and director of the Global Science Institute, a non-profit organization that promotes interdisciplinary research and education. She is also a research scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science and a consultant for NASA. She is best known for creating the Catalog of Habitable Stellar Systems (HabCat), a database of more than 17,000 stars that are likely to have planets that can support life. She also developed the concept of the Galactic Habitable Zone, which identifies regions of the Milky Way that are favorable for life. She has received several awards and honors, including the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, the NASA Group Achievement Award and the Women in Aerospace Award.
7. Daniel Tammet
Daniel Tammet is a savant and a linguist who has extraordinary abilities in mathematics, memory and language. He can perform complex calculations in his head, recite pi to 22,514 digits from memory, and learn new languages in a matter of days. He speaks 11 languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Icelandic, Esperanto and his own invented language called Mänti. He also experiences synesthesia, a condition that makes him perceive numbers and words as colors, shapes and textures. He has written several books about his life and his mind, such as Born on a Blue Day and Thinking in Numbers. He has also participated in various documentaries and scientific studies that explore his remarkable brain.
8. Judit Polgár
Judit Polgár is the best female chess player of all time. She was a child prodigy who learned to play chess at the age of five and became a grandmaster at the age of 15, breaking the record previously held by Bobby Fischer. She is the only woman to have surpassed the 2700 Elo rating mark and to have defeated nine world champions, including Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. She is ranked as the 63rd best chess player in the world as of June 2023. She retired from competitive chess in 2014 and became an ambassador for chess education and promotion. She has written several books on chess and founded the Judit Polgár Chess Foundation, which organizes chess events and programs for children.
9. Brian Eno
Brian Eno is a musician, composer, producer and artist who has influenced various genres of music, such as ambient, electronic, rock and pop. He started his career as a member of the glam rock band Roxy Music in the early 1970s and then pursued a solo career that explored innovative sounds and techniques. He is also known for his collaborations with other artists such as David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads, Coldplay and Paul Simon. He has produced over 50 albums and composed music for films, TV shows, video games and art installations. He is also a pioneer of generative music, which uses algorithms to create endless variations of musical patterns. He has received many awards and honors, including the BAFTA Fellowship, the Ivor Novello Award and the Polar Music Prize.
10. Elaine Pagels
Elaine Pagels is a historian and scholar who specializes in early Christianity and Gnosticism. She is a professor at Princeton University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. She is best known for her books The Gnostic Gospels (1979) and Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003), which explore the diversity and complexity of Christian beliefs in the first centuries after Jesus’ death. She has also written about the origins of Satan, the Book of Revelation, the Gospel of Judas and her personal experiences with faith and loss. She has received many awards and honors, including the National Book Award, the MacArthur Fellowship and the Rockefeller Fellowship.
Conclusion
These are just some of the living geniuses who have made remarkable contributions to their fields and to humanity as a whole. They inspire us with their intelligence, creativity, curiosity and courage. They also challenge us to think critically, question assumptions and explore new possibilities.
10 Most Asked Questions
Here are some possible questions that people might ask about this article:
- Who is Tim Berners-Lee?
- What is the Poincaré conjecture?
- What is ALS?
- What is apartheid?
- What is synesthesia?
- What is HabCat?
- What is Mänti?
- What is ambient music?
- What are the Gnostic Gospels?
- How did Elaine Pagels lose her son?