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A HBC reader has suggested including William James Sidis in the non-musical prodigy list. While not the world's most famous prodigy, William was probably the possessor of the highest I.Q. ever recorded, probanly about 250-300. Yes, higher even than Einstein's! A book you must about William is The Prodigy(Sidis' biograohy) by Amy Wallace. The cover photo shows William, around age 10, in the 'Russian tunic suit' so popular at the time. The tunic suit had very plain lines. A HBC reader speculates, "I've always thought of the Russian outfit as reaction to the Little Lord Fauntleroy craze." William was a very interesting child, needless to say, but his parents treated him like a performing monkey which doubtless was the cause of the eccentric, reclusive personality he developed. His abilities are astonishing. He was reading the New York Times at age 18 months. He was not just reading, but writing French poetry at age 5 years. He was speaking 8 languages at 6 years of age. William passed the entramce exam for Harvard University at age 9 years. he reportedkly was giving lecgtures at the Harvard at the Mathematical Club at ahe 11 years. He graduated sum Laude at age 16 years. Tragically, he never made a significant contribution with all that incredible intellect. He ssems to have died, a penniless recluse, at the age 46 years.
William's parents, Boris Sidis and Sarah Mandelbaum Sidis, were Jewish immigrants who fled Tsarist pogroms in Ukraine (1880s). They were both very intelligent and ambitious. His father attained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Harvard in only 3 years, a program that normally takes 6 yeras. He became a psychiatrist, focusing on abormal psychology. His mother was equally impressive. at a time when few women atteded university, she was one of the first women to attend medical school at Boston University, becoming a doctor. A note here. Typicalkly American inivdrsity professioes in women;s studies use this fact to demonstrate how unfair America was to women. Only rarely do they point out how America led the world in women attending university. His parents achievements were incredible. They arrived in America poor Russian (actually Ukranian)immigrants, but in a mere 10 years, his fathe had attained a B.A, an M.A, and a Ph.D. in psychology. Sarah had her M.D in medicine.
William was born in Manhattan, New York (1898). He was a very interesting child, needless to say, but his parents treated him like a performing monkey which doubtless was the cause of the eccentric, reclusive personality he developed. His father, an expert on abnormal psychology managed to raise an abnormal child. Parents of course are important in unlocking their children's potential. They are not absolutely vutal, but they are very important. In William's case, he became their guinea pig. In his home, nurturing with love, reassurance, and warmth was not a high priority. What was important was stimulating him intellectually and they sought publicize their amazing results. They dcided when William reached age 5 months to treat him as an adult. At home, William sat at the dining table and participated in adult cionversatuin. His parents did not encourage him to make friends or play. Rather they were all focused on his learning. William was isolated within his family. He lived in his own very narrow world. His parents filled his intellectual needs, but his emotional needs were simjoly ignored. And gthis was done by afather who was an expert on abnirmal spsychology.
William also faced press intrusion which his parets incourafed. From an earklyasge, he was featured on magazind covers. He essentially grew up in the media spotlight. When he did attend school, it became a media circus. Everyone wanted to know about this boy genius. William resented the media circus. William came to want rules and routine he couldfollow. He wanted no deviations from his routines.
We note William wearing a sailor suits at a young age (figur 1). The cover photo for Williams biography shows him wearing a Russian tunic suit at age 10 years. A popular fashion at the time. at the time. The tunic suit had very plain lines. A HBC reader speculates, "I've always thought of the Russian outfit as reaction to the Little Lord Fauntleroy craze."
William is probably best desribed as a mathematical genius, but his inteligence gave him phenomenal abilities im many other areas. While not the world's most famous prodigy, William was probably the possessor of the highest I.Q. ever recorded, probanly about 250-300. Yes, higher even than Einstein's! 【Wallace】 Number's at William's level are smart beyound comprehension. Remember that 140 is the genius level. Reserachers have estimated individuals like Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking in the 160-190 in the 160-190 level, with Newtin being the highest. Meaning that William was a truly extrodinary individual.
His resulting abilities were astonishing. He was reading the New York Times at age 18 months.
He was typing out letters to Macy's to order his own toys atcage 3 years. Boris gave William annual calendars at the age of 5. William on his own was soon calculate the day on which any date fell during the past ten thousand years. And he was not just reading, but writing French poetry at age 5 years. He read Plato in original Greek at age 5. He had taught himself several languages by age 6 years, including Latin, Hebrew, Greek, Russian, Turkish, Armenian, French, and German. He rote a novel and a constitution for a utopia.
William's school performance was not what you might think. At school, he had no concept of social interaction or ability to make friends. We are not sure if he was shybtonbegin with or became shy because he was so socially awkward. Another school problem was that if was interested in a subject, he ethusiastically dove into it. But if he was uninteresred, he repotedly sulked and even covered his ears. William completed 7 years of school in a mere 6 months, but he made no friends and became a loner.
William passed the entramce exam for Harvard University at age 9 years. He becme the yiungst person to ever ebnter Hasrvard. Even though William had passed the entrance exam, Harvard would not yet let him attend. His father pushed the issue and he was finally accepted and admitted as a 'special student'. He was not not actually allowed to attend classes until age 11 years. William was not allowed to enter Harvard quietly and get on with his studies. Rather his father promoted uintense press attengtion, concocting a publicity stunt. William at only age 11, delivered a lecture on 'Four-Dimensional Bodies' to the Harvard Mathematical Club (1910). Around 100 respected mathematics professors and advanced students filed into a crowded lecture hall.
William dressed in what was desribed as velvet bloomers rather awkwardly negan his lecture, but grrdually gained confidence. addressed the audience. He was quiet at first, but then, as he warmed to his subject, his confidence grew. His lecture was incomprehensible to the press and for that matter most of the invited mathematical professors, but those who understood it enthusiatically William to be the next great contributor to mathematics. Math was surely his gratest gift and if he had a=stayed with it, he could have nmade real contruibutiions. Again, his image appeared on magazins and nespapers with predictions of great discoveries. His time at Harvard, however, was not a happyb time. The other boys bullied and reduculed him.
"He had been made a laughing stock at Harvard. He admitted he had never kissed a girl. He was teased and chased, and it was just humiliating. And all he wanted was to be away from academia [and] be a regular working man."
【Wallace】
In a press interview, William sais, "I want to live the perfect life. The only way to live the perfect life is to live it in seclusion. I have always hated crowds." 【Wallace】 Tragically, his time at Harc=vard may bhave soured him on matematics, the area in which he could have made a real contribution.
William graduated cum laude from Harvard 5 years after his lecture (1916).
We are not sure how William,'s parents describd their achuievements. They were surely well earned, but ionly bcause they came to America. It would have been impossible had they stayed in America or gone to virtully any other country. This is important becausev among his many other intekectual achuievenments, patriotism for the country that made those achievemebnts possible is not one of the beliefs in his value system. Sidis had abandoned his pursuit of a graduate degree in mathematics and instead enrolled at the Harvard Law School (September 1916). He withdrew in good standing in his final year (March 1919). Rather than math he seems to have focused on political though and like moder woke thinkers focused on America's inperfections raher than its achievements. Sidis was arrested for participating in a socialist May Day parade in Boston that had turned violent. He was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in prison under the Sedition Act of 1918. huis was all followed by the newspaoers who had featrured him as a child and Harvrd student. Sidis during the trial stated that he had been a conscientious objector to the World War I draft, was a socialist, and did not believe in a god-like the 'big boss of the Christians', but rather in 'something that is in a way apart from a human being'--what everv that means. He later developed a libertarian philosophy based on individual rights and what he described as 'the American social continuity'. His father somehow worked up a deal with the procecuting district attorney to keep his son out of prison. While awiting appeal, his parents were allowed to hold him in their sanatorium in New Hampshire for a year. They then took him to California, where he spent a second year. At the sanatorium, his attempted to 'reform' him. Apparently bhe was notb all thatb cooperative, They had to threaten to transfer him to an insane asylum. 【Sidis】 This destroyed their relationship with him.
Tragucally, he never made a significant contribution with all that incredible intellect. Afterr harvard, Sidis seems determined live a private, niormal life. He began teaching math at Rice Institute in Houston, Texas., but as he was so much younger than his students, they apparently refused to take him seriously.
Sidis resigned and attempted to avoid any public life. He soughtb only menial jobs and stayed out of public view. If recognized hev would quit and find another job. He sought out basic accounting work and got upset if someone discovered his identity. His joyn of math turned into revulsion. "The very sight of a mathematical formula makes me physically ill. All I want to do is run an adding machine, but they won’t let me alone." 【Sidis】
Sidis turned away from his mathematical talents and become a recluse, avoising socialm contact. Kn his laterbyears, he was living ed in a rundown, Boston rooming house. He operated aan adding machine kept himself, preferring his own company. His favored diversiions were writing novels, always using a fake name, and collecting streetcar transfer tickets. The press caught up with him (1937). The New York Post tasked a female reporter to pretend befriend him and then write an article -- "Boy Brain Prodigy of 1909 Now $23-a-Week Adding Machine Clerk". It portrayed Sidis as a failure that had achieved none of his childhood promise. Sidis was both embarassed and angry. He same ouf hising and suedThe Post for libel. The action is now considered the first privacy lawsuit. He lost he suit. The court fiound that he was a public figure and thus waived his rights to private life. He then disappeared into obscurity again. He was duscovered dead by his landlady, at age 46. He died of a cerebral haemorrhage, alone and penniless..
Sidis, W.J. "Absolutist conscetious objector writings, 1939-1943".
Wallace, Amy. The Prodigy.
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