History is only created with geniuses being a part of it. Since the topic deals with compiling the list of the smartest person in the world, considering the factor of intelligence quotient, or IQ is primarily important.
The ones who made it to this list had huge potential, hefty aptitude, and an elevated inclination in some particular area marked by their high level of IQ. However, this is no standard way of comparing these geniuses.
The contributions that these people have made to this world are impeccable. It is impossible for normal people to have such levels of intelligence. These people were so extraordinary that it would be a struggle for normal human beings to understand them.
They were often denied the credit that they deserved. It was much later in life that they received the fame and credibility that they should have gotten earlier.
What Is The Meaning Of Smart?
Before getting into the details, we must first discuss what “smart” really means. Colloquially, we have used the word interchangeably with intelligence, but they are not necessarily the same in meaning. Psychologists, neuroscientists, and artificial intelligence experts are in the midst of an ongoing debate about what intelligence means.
But to suffice our purpose at hand, the dictionary meaning should do. It states that “smart” or “intelligent” means “capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.”
Who Is The Smartest Person In The World?
This list of the smartest person in the world includes people who could never live up to their full potential. The lack of opportunities and restrictions of society have prevented these people from reaching their peak while they lived. However, they have made their place in history books with their names written in golden letters.
1. Issac Newton (1642-1726)
I am sure you have all heard about Sir Isaac Newton and the famous apple story that led him to discover gravity. He was one of the smartest person in the world who gave us everything that we needed to know. He was an English-born mathematician, physicist, alchemist, and astronomer.
He is considered to be one of the most extraordinary human beings that ever lived. Bagging an IQ of 193, he was the most influential scientist of all time and greatly contributed to the 17th-century scientific revolution.
Contributions and Achievements:
- Discovered the concept of universal gravitation
- Discovered the laws of motion
- Invented the first reflecting telescope
- Proposed the theory of color that is visible in the spectrum and rainbow
- Explained the theory that color is an intrinsic property
- Devised the calculus theorem
- Contributed to the studies of early modern chemistry
2. Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)
Born in the time of the Italian High Renaissance, Leonardo Da Vinci was a polyhistor. Although he is most notably known as a painter, his diverse knowledge in other fields, such as mathematics, architecture, sculpting, anatomy, literature, engineering, and music, was impeccable.
Based on his IQ level, he was considered to be a man who was way ahead of his time. His most popular artwork, the painting of ‘Monalisa,’ is an asset that he gifted the world with. I am sure now you know why he has been included in this list of the top five smartest person in the world.
Contributions and Achievements:
- Considered to be a spirit of the Renaissance.
- Constructed various maps due to his in geology.
- Painted the portrait of Monalisa, which came to be displayed in galleries and museums across the world.
- Drew the first-ever images of a helicopter, parachute, and tank.
- Trained to write backward.
- Known for his power of imagination, devising concepts, inventions, and curiosity.
3. Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Born as a German-Jewish, Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist who was considered among the greatest human beings that ever lived on this planet.
He was a genius scientist and can undoubtedly be considered among the smartest person in the world. His contributions to the field of philosophy of science are made him so much influential.
Contributions and Achievements:
- Developed the theory of general relativity.
- Developed the theory of special relativity.
- Proposed the phenomena of the photoelectric effect.
- Contributed to the theories of gravitational waves and gravitational lensing.
- Devised a model of the wormhole.
- Invented the mass-energy equivalence equation.
4. Aryabhatta (476 AD- 550 AD)
Aryabhatta is one of the oldest geniuses that lived on this planet. Born in Pataliputa, India, he was an acclaimed mathematician-astronomer as well as a physicist. During the classical age of uprising concepts of mathematics and science, he made some tremendous contributions to these fields.
His level of devising concepts and predictions is what made him be considered one of the smartest people in the world. He was the first man to make the people in India understand the science behind planetary motions.
Contributions and Achievements:
- Composed the famous Aryabhatiya and Arya-Siddhanta.
- Explained the concepts of the solar eclipse and lunar eclipse.
- Devised formulas for calculating the areas of circles and triangles.
- Proposed the solution of the single-variable quadratic equation.
- Invented the number ‘0’ and taught how to use large numbers upto 1018.
- Calculated the value of ‘pi’ accurately upto the fourth decimal point.
- Proposed the concept of axial rotation of the earth and calculated the circumference of the earth as 62,832 miles.
5. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
An Italian-born Galileo Galilei was another polymath who came to be considered among the smartest person in the world. He was among the ones having the highest IQ level of all time. He was also one of the most influential scientists of all time.
His accomplishments made him come to be known as the “Father of Observational Astronomy” and even as the “Father of Modern Science”. His extraordinary talents even made him contribute to the fields of physics, philosophy, engineering, and mathematics.
Contributions and Achievements:
- Invented the geometric and military compass.
- Constructed an improvised telescope.
- Proposed the concept of heliocentrism, elucidating the model of the solar system.
- Made contributions and inventions in astronomical observatory, including phases of Venus, satellites of Jupiter, Saturn’s rings, and analysis of sunspots.
- Describe the properties of the pendulum mechanism.
Final Thoughts
Without these genius minds, the world wouldn’t have been where it is today. It was not only their IQ that made them so extraordinary. But their ability to reason, capacity to think out of the world, and, of course, the knowledge that made them considered among the smartest person in the world.
It is often said that these beings were born at the wrong time because their minds lived way ahead of their time. Nevertheless, the contributions that these geniuses made are to be remembered forever. These are milestones in the field of basic education and the basis for many discoveries.
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