William James Sidis spoke 25 languages and had an IQ 100 points higher than Albert Einstein's, but the smartest man in the world just wanted to live his life in seclusion.
Wikimedia CommonsThough he’s known as the world’s smartest person ever, William James Sidis died at 46 after spending decades as a recluse while working low-level jobs.
Believed to be the smartest person who ever lived, William James Sidis could read The New York Times when he was less than two years old. By the time he was six, he could speak multiple languages. And by age nine, he was accepted to Harvard, though the university didn’t let him attend until he was 11.
But despite his supreme intelligence, William James Sidis struggled to fit in with a world that didn’t understand him. This is the tragic story of how the “smartest person in the world” died penniless and alone.
William James Sidis: A Child Prodigy Like No Other
On April 1, 1898, William James Sidis, the “smartest person who ever lived,” was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
His parents, Ukrainian immigrants Boris and Sarah Sidis, were pretty intelligent themselves. Boris was a famed psychologist while Sarah was a doctor.
From the start, William James Sidis’ parents adored their gifted son, spending untold money on books and maps to encourage his early learning. But they had no idea just how early their precious child would catch on.
Sidis ArchivesWilliam James Sidis was widely known as the smartest person in the world, but his story ended in tragedy.
When William James Sidis was just 18 months old, he was able to read The New York Times.
By the time he was six years old, he could speak multiple languages, including English, French, German, Russian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Armenian.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, William James Sidis also invented his own language as a child (though it’s unclear if he ever used it as an adult). The ambitious youngster also wrote poetry, a novel, and even a constitution for a potential utopia.
Wikimedia CommonsBoris Sidis, William’s father, was a polyglot and he wanted his son to be one as well.
William James Sidis was accepted to Harvard University at the humble age of nine. However, the school wouldn’t allow him to attend classes until he was 11.
While he was still a student in 1910, he lectured the Harvard Mathematical Club on the incredibly complex topic of four-dimensional bodies. The lecture was nearly incomprehensible for most people, but for those who understood it, the lesson was a revelation.
William James Sidis graduated from the legendary university in 1914. He was just 16 years old.
The Unparalleled IQ Of William James Sidis
Wikimedia CommonsThe town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, home of Harvard University, in the 1910s.
Much speculation has been made over the years about William James Sidis’ IQ. Any records of his IQ testing have been lost to time, so modern-day historians are forced to estimate.
For context, 100 is considered an average IQ score, while below 70 is often viewed as substandard. Anything above 130 is considered gifted or very advanced.
Some historical IQs that have been reverse-analyzed include Albert Einstein with 160, Leonardo da Vinci with 180, and Isaac Newton with 190.
As for William James Sidis, the “smartest person who ever lived,” he had an estimated IQ of around 250 to 300. If accurate, this could give him the highest IQ in the world for anyone who ever lived.
Sidis ArchivesWilliam James Sidis was a child prodigy admitted to Harvard at just 11 years old — but life would not turn out as expected for the world’s smartest man.
Anybody with a high IQ will be happy to tell you it’s meaningless. Nevertheless, Sidis scored so high that his IQ was the same amount as three average human beings combined.
But despite his intelligence, he struggled to fit in with a world full of people who didn’t understand him.
After William James Sidis graduated from Harvard at age 16, he told reporters, “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.”
For a short period of time, he taught mathematics at Rice Institute in Houston, Texas. But he was all but driven out, partially due to the fact that he was younger than many of his students.
The “World’s Smartest Person” Spends His Last Decades In Seclusion
Sidis ArchivesWilliam James Sidis spent his last decades mostly in seclusion.
William James Sidis briefly courted controversy when he was arrested at a Boston May Day Socialist March in 1919. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for rioting and assaulting a police officer, but he had actually done neither.
That said, Sidis was determined to live in quiet solitude after his brush with the law. He took on a series of menial jobs, such as low-level accounting work. But whenever he was recognized or his colleagues learned who he was, he would promptly quit.
“The very sight of a mathematical formula makes me physically ill,” he later complained. “All I want to do is run an adding machine, but they won’t let me alone.”
In 1937, William James Sidis entered the spotlight for a final time when The New Yorker ran a patronizing article about him. He decided to sue for invasion of privacy and malicious libel, but the judge dismissed the case.
Now a classic in privacy law, the judge ruled that once a person is a public figure, they’re always a public figure. Such was the case for the “smartest person in the world.”
After he lost his appeal, the once idolized Sidis didn’t live too much longer. On July 17, 1944, William James Sidis died of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 46.
Found by his landlady, the “smartest person in the world” left this world as a penniless, reclusive office clerk.
.
If you enjoyed this look at William James Sidis, the “smartest person in the world,” read about Marilyn vos Savant, the woman with the highest IQ ever recorded in history. Then learn about Christopher Langan, also called the world’s smartest person by some.
