People with high IQ scores are capable of doing things that an ordinary mind cannot fathom. Albert Einstein, whose work in physics still has an impact on the development of modern science, is considered one of the world’s most creative intellectuals. After him, there have been several bright minds who have come close and even superseded his genius. Keep reading to find out who makes it to the top 35 list.

IQ tests were developed by the American psychologist Lewis Madison Terman during World War 1. US soldiers were the first people to take the test. Different scores show different measures of IQ as follows:

• 90 to 109: Average/normal intelligence
• 110 to 119: Superior intelligence
• 120 to 140: Very superior intelligence
• Over 140: Genius or near genius

What is the highest IQ ever recorded?

IQ scores are subjective and vary according to different measures. Below are the top 35 people with the highest IQ in the world, according to the American electromagnetic engineer Libb Thims. They are not arranged in any order because of the different parameters used to determine their intelligence.

1. Johann Goethe (1749 to 1832) - 210 to 225 IQ score

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German statesman, scientist, novelist, playwright, poet, critic, and theatre director. The polymath invented the science of human chemistry and developed one of the earliest recognized evolution theories.

2. Albert Einstein (1879 to 1955) - 205 to 225 IQ score

Albert Einstein was a German theoretical physicist and is recognized as one of the greatest physicists ever to live. He developed the theory of relativity and made essential contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics. His mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc2, is considered the world’s most famous equation.

3. Leonardo da Vinci (1452 to 1519) - 180 to 220 IQ score

Leonardo da Vinci is considered the most diversely talented human ever to grace the earth. He was a skilled Italian painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. He is one of the greatest painters and is credited as the founder of the High Renaissance.

4. Isaac Newton (1643 to 1727) - 190 to 200 IQ score

Sir Isaac Newton is one of the greatest English mathematicians and physicists, known for his law of gravitation. He was also influential in the fields of theology, astronomy, economics, alchemy, and natural philosophy. His Philosophie Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, is considered the most influential book in the history of science.

5. James Clark Maxwell (1831 to 1879) - 190 to 2015 IQ score

James Clark Maxwell was a Scottish mathematician and scientist widely recognized for developing the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation. He made significant contributions to the quantum theory, and Albert Einstein also stood in awe of his achievements.

6. Rudolf Clausius (1822 to 1888) - 190 to 205 IQ score

Rudolf Clausius was a German mathematician and physicist most recognized for formulating the second law of thermodynamics. He also contributed to the concepts of entropy, disgregation, kinetic law of gases, virial theorem, and Clausius model.

7. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 to 1543) - 160 to 200 IQ score

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer, mathematician, economist, classics scholar, and Catholic canon. He revolutionized the study of the cosmos after discovering the heliocentric model of the universe, which stated that the sun and not the earth is the centre of our solar system.

8. Gottfried Leibniz (1646 to 1716) - 182 to 205 IQ score

Gottfried Leibniz was a German polymath active as a philosopher, mathematician, and diplomat. He is famously remembered for inventing differential and integral calculus.

9. William Sidis (1898 to 1944) - 200 to 300 IQ score

William James Sidis was an American child prodigy with one of the highest IQs ever recorded. He had exceptional linguistic and mathematical skills. By his second birthday, he could read The New York Times and type using a typewriter. Harvard University admitted him at age 9.

10. Thomas Young (1773 to 1829) - 185 to 200 IQ score

Thomas Young was an English polymath who made critical contributions to the fields of energy, solid mechanics, light, vision, Egyptology, music harmony, language, and physiology. He is widely recognized for the discovery of optics and human anatomy. His work influenced Albert Einstein and James Clerk Maxwell, and he is considered the last man who knew everything.

11. Carl Gauss (1777 to 1855) - 250 to 300 IQ score

Carl Gauss was a German child prodigy who grew up to become one of the greatest mathematicians and scientists. He made extensive contributions to the fields of analysis, statistics, statistics, and algebra. He refrained from publishing anything until he saw it was perfect.

12. Galileo Galilei (1564 to 1642) - 180 to 200 IQ score

Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer, engineer, mathematician, and physicist. He made influential developments in the fields of analytical dynamics, heliocentrism, kinematics, and observational astronomy.

13. Leonhard Euler (1707 to 1783) - 180 to 200 IQ score

Leonhard Euler was a Swiss physicist, mathematician, engineer, logician, and geographer. He is one of the pioneers of pure mathematics, and he established the studies of topology and graph theory. Leonhard made further developments to the study of integral calculus.

14. Nikola Tesla (1856 to 1943) - 160 to 310 IQ score

Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American engineer and inventor. He discovered and patented the rotating magnetic field, which is the basis of most alternating-current machinery. In 1891, he invented the Tesla coil and later in 1900 invested $150,000 to build the Wardenclyffe Tower, a transatlantic wireless communication system. The project was never completed, becoming Nikola’s greatest defeat and his downfall.

15. William Shakespeare (1564 to 1616) - About 210 IQ score

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, actor, and poet. He is often regarded as the greatest English-speaking writer and dramatist in the world. Shakespeare is often called England’s national poet and the Bard of Avon, and his literature work continues to be explored in the modern age.

25. Marie Curie (1867 to 1934) - 180 to 200 IQ score

Marie Curie was a Polish and naturalized-French chemist and physicist well known for her contributions to radioactivity and the development of x-rays in surgery. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize and the first person to win it twice for her role in the fields of chemistry and physics. She also became the first woman to teach at Sorbonne.

17. Kim Ung-Yong (born 1962) - 200 to 210 IQ score

Kim Ung-Yong is a South Korean former child prodigy and professor. By the time he was three, he had already started taking university courses and was fluent in four languages by age 4. He is currently a professor at Shinhan University and vice president of the North Kyeong-gi Development Research Centre.

18. Edith Stern (Born 1952) - About 203 IQ score

Edith Helen Stern is an American mathematician and inventor. She is a former child prodigy who was moulded by her father into a ‘perfect human being’. Edith could read Encyclopedia Britannica by 5 and graduated from Florida Atlantic University at 15. She currently holds over 100 US patents.

19. Christopher Hirata (Born 1982) - 225 IQ score

Chris Hirata is an American child prodigy who became a cosmologist and astrophysicist. At age 13, he won a gold medal at the 1996 International Physics Olympiad. Chris is currently a professor of physics and astronomy at Ohio State University.

Other individuals regarded as having the highest IQ in the world include:

20. Marilyn Vos Servant (228): An American author, playwright, and lecturer. In 1986, she entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the person with the highest IQ of 228.

21. Voltaire, also called Francois Marie Arouet (190 to 200): A French writer and philosopher

22. Ettore Majorana (183 to 200): An Italian theoretical physicist

23. Emanuel Swedenborg (165 to 210): A Swedish scientist and theologian

24. John Stuart Mill (180 to 200): An English philosopher

25. Terence Tao (211 to 230): An Australian-American child prodigy tuned mathematician. He is a professor of mathematics at UCLA.

26. Hypatia of Alexandria (170 to 210): A 4th-century Neoplatonist century philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer.

27. Hugo Grotius (200): A Dutch jurist and scholar best recognized for his contributions to international law.

28. Thomas Wolsey (200): An English cardinal and statesman.

29. Francis Galton (200): An English polymath known for his contribution to eugenics and human intelligence.

30. Dylan Jones (200): An American child prodigy.

31. Sho Yano (200): An American physician and former child prodigy.

32. Michael Grost (200): A former American child prodigy.

33. Nadia Camukova (200): A Russian forensic scientist and professor.

34. Michael Kearney (200 to 325): An American professor, game show contestant, and former child prodigy.

35. Ainan Cawley (263 to 349): Singaporean child prodigy born in 1999.

What is the highest IQ possible?

Theoretically, the highest IQ possible is 200. However, several people have recorded higher than 200.

Who has an IQ of 300?

A number of individuals have reached the 300 mark on the IQ scale according to different measures. They include:

• Aina Cawley - 263 to 349
• Michael Kearney - 200 to 325
• Carl Gauss - 250 to 300
• William Sidis - 200 to 300
• Nikola Tesla - 160 to 310

Who has the top 5 highest IQ?

People with the top 5 highest IQ are also the ones who have reached the 300 mark, as shown above.

Who has the highest IQ ever in history?

Singaporean child prodigy Aina Cawley has reached the 349 score, which is the highest ever recorded. However, there is no definite answer to who has the highest IQ ever because of the different measures used.

What was Einstein's IQ?

The theoretical physicist had an estimated IQ of between 205 to 225. He is widely recognized for developing the theory of relativity.

What is Stephen Hawking's IQ level?

Professor Stephen Hawking (1942 to 2018) had an estimated IQ score of 160, although he never took the IQ test. He is credited with formulating Hawking radiation, a theory that states black holes emit radiation and are ruled by both the laws of relativity and quantum mechanics.

People with the highest IQ ever recorded, both present and past, have made immense contributions to their fields of expertise, mostly science. However, the list is not exhaustive since other lesser-known geniuses are yet to be discovered by the public.

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