American electrochemical engineer Libb Thims took an unorthodox approach when he set out to rank the smartest people of all time.
Thims first compiled a list of people with IQ scores over 200 as a matter of curiosity. Anything over 130 is extremely high, though it should be noted that IQ tests are a highly imprecise and controversial measure.
Later, Thims ranked everybody who had a strong aptitude, marked capacity, or heightened inclination in some area that coupled with their IQ would make them worthy of the title genius.
Not wanting to exclude any geniuses who existed before IQ tests were invented, Thims referred to IQ ratings based on the Cox methodology, which predicts IQ based on how much people accomplished every 10 years of their lives. Thims then adjusted the IQ scores he thought were inaccurate by reading through many of the individuals' works to check for errors.
Thims evaluated both IQ and accomplishments to rank the smartest people in history.
Of course, this list is highly subjective and at times seemingly random. Still, we found it thoughtful enough to warrant a second look.
40. Richard "Rick" Rosner
Television personality and former stripper Rick Rosner is one of the smartest living men in the world with IQ scores ranging from 140 to 250 by different measures.
He has taken more than 30 IQ tests and received the highest score ever on more than 20 of them, he told Business Insider back in November. He considers himself particularly good at math, physics, and "stringing words together."
He takes around 50 pills every day, including Omega 3 fish oil capsules and Metmorfin, "for health, longevity, and to make my brain work better," he said.
39. Marilyn vos Savant
Born in 1946, Vos Savant has earned IQ scores ranging from 157 to 228.
Vos Savant dropped out of Washington University after two years to dabble in stocks and real estate, according to Jezebel. She later became a writer and married Robert Jarvik, the inventor of the Jarvik artificial heart.
She achieved fame when her extrapolated score of 228 (based on a childhood test) was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1985.
Since 1986, she has written an "Ask Marilyn" column in Parade magazine, where she was famous for solving the Monty Hall problem.
38. Christopher Langan
With an IQ reported between 174 and 210, Christopher Langan was dubbed the smartest man in America by Esquire Magazine.
Langan is an autodidact, meaning he is largely self-taught. He has spent much of his adult life developing a Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe, a kind of theory of everything which he calls the CTMU.
At 6'1" and 275 pounds, Langan is an avid weightlifter and recovering agoraphobic who pays the bills doing temp work as a bartender, night-club bouncer, and personal trainer.
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