Norfolk Southern Matching Gifts: Fill & Download for Free

Short answer: American frigates like the USS Constitution proved vastly superior to the other warship in their class. Nonetheless, their superiority over other warships in their class was largely due to the attention to detail of their design and to the talent of their officers and crews.Main gundeck of ConstitutionThe Americans entered the war in 1812 with six frigates, five sloops of war, two brigs, and sixty-two gunboats ready for sea. Nine new vessels were building in various harbors including two new 74s, but these would not be ready until 1814. Only one American vessel was patrolling Lake Ontario, and several other war vessels were building or refitting for service on the Great Lakes. It seems obvious, therefore, that the American plan for its naval defense was somewhat optimistic. A navy twenty times the number would have been needed to stand eyeball to eyeball with any of the fleets of Europe.The Royal Navy had more than 100 warships larger than 64 guns, while the six frigates fielded by the Americans had no hope of standing up to even a single 50-gun fourth rate. The reasoning of both President James Madison and the congressional War Hawks was quickly shown to be faulty as the British immediately set almost 100 warships on the station solely directed against the American coastline. Although most of these warships were 32- to 40-gun frigates and smaller vessels, some were mighty 74s, having three decks.The wooden warship of the 18th century was the most complicated piece of machinery of its time. Powered by sails, defended by muzzle-loading cannon, and manned by several hundred seamen, marines, and officers it was a formidable adversary. The example above is a ship-rigged frigate of about 28 guns.To counter the British presence the Americans had six large frigates designed to carry 44 guns (although though only three had this armament) and several smaller vessels of the Essex class.* But the double-banked American frigates proved vastly superior to any other warship in their class. Naval authority and author C. S. Forester pointed out that they were not "extra powerful frigates" but rather "not-too-small two-decked ships of the line."Constitution in action against JavaThe United States had been fortunate in its choice of a naval designer for these vessels. Joshua Humphreys was gifted with a combination of original thought, professional competence, and technological shrewdness. He had first suggested the fortified frigate design to Congress in 1794. The resulting warships had been built with stout timbers of live oak from the swamplands of Georgia in order to add strength and durability, and they were designed with a flush spar deck with stalwart protective sides, allowing more guns to be mounted on two decks than was common with vessels that had well decks amidships. Like many American merchant vessels of the day, these frigates were particularly fast and could run from any vessel they could not match in size.Guerriere's masts go over the side as Constitution rakes her from ahead.Of the six vessels-Constitution, President, United States, Chesapeake, Constellation, and Congress-only the first three were armed with 44 guns. The others varied between 36 and 38 guns. The best known of the group was Constitution, with its many single-ship actions including the defeat of the British frigates Guerriere and Java. The strength of Constitution's sides in these battles was so great that many of the enemy's shot bounced off into the sea. This observation led to the frigate's nickname "Old Ironsides."The frigate United States served to bring Captain Stephen Decatur to prominence when he trounced the 38-gun Macedonian, which was later brought into the American navy. The 38-gun Chesapeake was lost in an ill-considered ship-to-ship duel with Shannon (36) in sight of Boston. Late in the war, President, the fastest of the six Humphrey frigates, was pounded into submission by a small squadron of British ships including the 44-gun Endymion, a British large frigate. Constellation (36) spent most of the war blockaded in Norfolk after being chased back into its hole by two ships-of-the-line, three frigates, and two sloops-of-war. Finally, the Congress (36) spent much of the war in consort with President, before that ship's capture. Congress captured a few merchant vessels in the Atlantic but generally failed to distinguish itself otherwise. With the war at an end in 1815, and with Napoleon removed from the stage of European politics, the world entered an era during which many nations turned their focus inward.*The USS Essex and those of its class was armed with mostly short-range carronades that could not hope to match the range of 18- and 24-pounder naval guns. Essex and the sloop-of-war Essex Junior, were brought to action off Valparaiso, Chile on 28 March 1814 against the British frigate HMS Phoebe and the sloop-of-war Cherub. Phoebe, armed with long 18-pounders, had a decisive advantage at long range. The British vessels won the battle, and the American vessels were captured. The Royal Navy never fitted her for sea, but re-classed her as a 42-gun ship HMS Essex. She served as a troopship until 7 July 1819.The Essex v Phoebe action (Painting by Captain William Bainbridge Hoff)American Live Oak from the Southern colonies was not considered as a marine raw material until used by the U.S. Navy. The U.S.S. Constitution, "Old Ironsides," had a keel of White Oak from New Jersey, timbers of Live Oak and Red Cedar from Georgia, and White Pines masts and spars from Maine. The wood most preferred for the keel was elm, since it best resisted rotting due to continuous immersion in sea water. If elm was not available, then oak would be used. In any case the ribs and skeleton of a vessel were usually formed from red oak. For many years, white oak from the Baltic was not considered to have sufficient strength, but the American variety of white oak was found to be a superior building material.During the Napoleonic Wars, when the British needed huge numbers of vessels to maintain the blockade of Europe, pitch-pine or fir was used extensively. Fir-built vessels had a shorter life expectancy than those fashioned of oak, but they built faster.Note: Fourth Rates in the Royal Navy were 50-gun vessels usually built with two decks. In the early 18th century, Fourth Rates would have been intimidating adversaries, but in the 1770s they were simply under-gunned, too small and weakly armed to serve in the line. Many Fourth Rates were razed (cut down) as they grew older to create more weatherly one deckers of 40 to 44 guns. They tended to be posted in northern waters (like the Baltic Sea), on colonial stations (like America), or on convoy duty where they could expected to face ships of equal or inferior fire power. Except that they sailed poorly, such vessels were formidable opponents for smaller enemy frigates. Each carried a compliment of about 300 men.During the 18th century the term frigate appears to have become a synonym for a fast vessel of war. Fifth and Sixth Rates were commonly designated as frigates, and they were single-decked and ship-rigged with three masts. Those frigates with between 32 and 44 guns were Fifth Rates, those with 20 to 28 guns were Sixth Rates. The latter class were remarkable quick (up to 13 knots) and weatherly making them excellent at scouting and harassing merchantmen.See:Daily Life in the Age of Sail: (The Greenwood Press "Daily Life Through History" Series): Dorothy Denneen Volo, James M. Volo: 9780313310263: Amazon.com: BooksOr:Blue Water Patriots: The American Revolution Afloat: James M. Volo: 9780742561205: Amazon.com: Books

Hillbillies and RednecksMy WW II ship had a very diversified crew, half from the north and half from the south, and some blacks from both regions. The difference in cultures was readily apparent. To me, southern blacks and whites were much the same; the big difference was between northerners and southerners - some of which were Rednecks and Hillbillies.To me, a hillbilly is simply a person from a rural mountain background who might not be as sophisticated as they could be, but are generally harmless. A redneck is generally an unsophisticated southerner, but can also be a willfully ignorant person with a malicious streak (such as the local rednecks who go around beating up black or gay people). If someone called me either a hillbilly or a redneck, it would just be silly, as the term doesn't generally apply to urban Germans raised up north. However, I found that some southerners embrace these terms proudly, and are proud of being hillbillies or rednecks. I've seen several men with "Redneck" printed on the back of their belts. I think the derogatory terms "cracker" or "honky" would bear a closer resemblance to the "n-word" in usage and intent.What one sees often in the south are white men with a beer belly that consumes cheap American beer, White Lighting, or Jack Daniel's. They are generally distrustful or dislike anyone not like them or the government. The stereotypical redneck lives in a trailer, and drives an old, large, beat-up pickup truck with a gun rack in the rear window. He generally wears a stained, sleeveless t-shirt, blue jeans, and a trucker hat. Their hair is generally worn in the mullet style, and they favor long sideburns and love guns. Personal hygiene is a lost concept with the stereotypical redneck, and what teeth they have left generally show the complete anthology of the stages of dental caries. Their favorite activities include hunting, shooting at road signs and lights, professional wrestling, NASCAR, monster truck rallies, car engine repair, collecting junked cars and large appliances on their lawns, having way too many children and dogs, participating in domestic disturbances, and waiting around for their welfare checks. Country and Southern Rock bands figure in as their preferred genre of music.Ah hem! I was a [liberal] red neck in my southern Dismal Swamp IBM Engineer Naval Base days and most of my friends were good ole boys. My best hunting friend, a real red neck from the "Old School" of redneckery said no to racial integration! Absolutely not! He lived in a world of rough necks, men who maybe only graduated elementary school but had great tough man country style experiences. He was a guns and hunting kind of man, chewed tobacco and dipped snuff too, knew lots of country songs and played the guitar, drove a rusted 4WD pickup, drank white lightening and hung with the local good ole boys, owned a bunch of hunting dogs, and got along well in the wilderness of Dismal Swamp.He didn't have respect for most blacks, hated Martin Luther King, and was against the Civil Rights movement going on. Bunch of commies he would say while he vehemently spit tobacco juice. But he had a sense of humor, he was laughing while he talked about southern redneckery. So of course we listen to our evangelical preachers, conservative talk radio, our racist politicians (that's how they get elected) who are all screaming the evils of the fascist federal government and those damn New York integrating commie liberals. Like the slithering serpent in the book of Genesis, the commie north and fascist government is trying to ruin our way of life.So being that we are commoners that fix cars, work on the rail road as engineers and conductors, construct electrical grids that light up skyscrapers, and other stupid things like that, and being that we don't possess the Jedi like intelligence of someone who went into debt 100K for a sociology degree, we get easily fooled by the sweet talk of "right wing radio." For this reason, we scream at our televisions, pull out our hair and get scared of brown and black people. We cling to our guns (said with a long, slurring southern accent) as we anxiously await the "gubmit" to come take our guns (again, said with long southern drawl). At least we can say "Amen" with our preachers who want to throw out the feds and create a new nation of true Christians.I am a Red NeckAfter all these years hiding behind my New Yorker fancy pants disposition, I have to admit I am a bonafide Red Neck too. So how did that happen? Well to start, I was raised in a big city and took most of pleasures in the country. And that continues to this day. Yes, I really enjoyed Manhattan night clubbing, Concert going and Museum hopping, but my manhood always got boiling happy in the country with the good-ole-boys.Back in Milwaukee I was book reading, city bike riding, B team sports boy. My life was all about camping, canoeing, deep woods adventure back backing and cow boying the ten horses I wrangled every summer for two years. Besides taking trail rides out and being a horseback riding instructor, trail riding into Wisconsin's wilderness was my forte. I had a lot of street fights in Milwaukee's gang country and went to the third round of competition in Golden Gloves beaten by a skinny Italian kid who grinned at me when he knocked me down. I was a Milwaukee story telling, deeps woods, horse riding, and street fighting rough neck that read a lot!Then I entered the Destroyer Navy. Every red neck will tell you that manliness was like being in the military and knowing how to fight. Bar fights included! Of course, color wearing Harley riders are automatically given red neck status. So, I double qualified! I was in a Destroyer Bike Club and rode Harley's and toured Virginia and West Virginia. With my Navy shore patrol and military police Street fighting experiences around the world, I had hundreds of fights under my belt and I could lick almost any man. But I will tell you, there were some young men in the Navy that could tear you out a new ass hole with hand and then proceed to kill you by ripping out your face. My black friend James - saved my ass in many foreign port bar fights - was like that. He was small but 100 percent muscle and before he put you down he smiled. They were usually from the streets of New York City of Philadelphia and many of them were black, they were the best fighters I ever saw and was glad they were on our sideBeing a weak or effeminate man will get you nothing but cat calls and disrespect from a true red blooded neck. I can't imagine a pussy man being on recon with us all loaded with our 90 pound back packs and WW II weapons cache. The navy for me was supporting fast attack carrier battle groups operations in all the western seas, chasing interdicting Russian submarines, OPs with the Marines and NATO, multiple Expeditionary Deployments to the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf, surviving hurricanes, rogue waves and storm tossed rough sea, weapons and covert Naval Infantry landing with the Marines. . But the navy was also about patriotism, buddies, ports visited and discovering yourself in the big wide the world.So, as for me and my buddies serving on a WW II Destroyer fighting the Cold War, we had a great appreciation for our American values, respecting for the flag and loving the USA. When they got out old glory and played Stars and Stripes Forever - we all got that stiffening and chill up our backbone. The Star Spangled banner flew proudly from our mast at sea and I cried when I saw it whipping proudly in the breeze on our Jack Staff while in port of the desperate war torn and poverty stricken 3rd world tribal nations we entered. Don't respect that flag or stand for our national anthem and any true red neck will log you down as a fucking asshole. And so will I!After the navy, I stayed in Norfolk and became a proud first class red neck. Between having a huge 20 gun collection of rifles, shot guns, auto pistols and revolvers, spending six years hunting in the Dismal Swamp and fishing in Chesapeake Bay with my 18 foot cabin cruiser, and learning to 'talk right' [southern] I had passed the test. White lightening drinking and tobacco chewing and spitting Good-ole-boys were my best friends for the seven years while I spent pleasuring myself in the swamp and ocean. We had our differences, they being segregationalists and I being involved in Jack Kennedy politics and a Civil Rights worker, but we got along well and respected each other. Many of us were also on the Volunteer Fire Department and in the Masons too. I went to the March on Washington and heard Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech - it woke up the world and my red neck friends knew their iconic confederate flag waving time was changing.The Southern back-country has a longstanding anti-authoritarian tradition that was "more radically libertarian, more strenuously hostile to ordering institutions which "Smokey and the Bandit" articulated. Once such a tremendous cultural collision has happened, it starts to look natural, even inevitable, in retrospect. But this Robin Hood was rebelling in me at a time and even though I live amongst what people call Rednecks, and they seem like very simple, down to earth, kindhearted folk, I had to fight them for Civil Rights. I was a Greenwich Village Rat hanging out with all the Hippies and performing arts types and would fit right in.Now here comes the big surprise! Rough red neck me moved to Manhattan, lived in scrappy Irish Hell's Kitchen, taught Grad School in Greenwich Village, hung around Washington Square Park and developed friendships with the creative set, NYU professors and students, intellectuals and performing arts crowd. I fit right in and loved it! I loved the funkiness of NYC but the worst thing was I had to get rid my gun collection - no guns allowed in NYC. I discovered there were many red necks in NYC, after all the Big Apple was home to the weird and unconventional even though they went to Harvard and smoke weed instead drinking White Lighting. .I face the combative urban world of academia and higher education with a full-typified throttle of a red neck. New York was all about learning. Growing, and having fun with my new friends who were intellectuals, Hollywood and Broadway performing arts entertainers, international characters and peace loving hippies. We hung around in parks, nightclubs, street fairs, school, hotels, dance clubs and bars. Topics of conversation were current events, world affairs, civil rights, religion and politics. All using critical thinking and at the highly academic level filled with fact and not so much emotionally driven opinions. Then there were doing Irish dancing at Citi Center, Central Park concerts with Leonard Bernstein, Broadway plays, Lincoln Center Opera and Ballet, Carnegie Hall world class singers, Flash Mobs, subway singers and street characters of every stripe. New York colorful streets filled with ethnic characters, exotic foods, delis giving away free sour pickles from a big street barrel, street counter food joints selling pizza, hot dogs and Shis kabob. Halal Street carts with about 100 restaurants every two or three blocks. NY was the music, food and performing capital of the USA.So here it is I was on a transformational change in my life. From a swamp rat red neck to a save the world bleeding heart hippy! I didn't do the drugs or let my hair get long, or mess with free women, but I was in an exciting new freethinking culture that was socially changing the USA. I went to Woodstock in Bethel, NY and loved it. It rained most of the weekend but great entertainers got their acts together on he big stage between storms. I loved Janice Joplin, Joe Crocker, Bob Dylan and other musicians including Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Grateful Dead, Sly, Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival and many more.I’m sure Woodstock was different for everyone. With 100’s of acres to roam filled with unwashed, music-loving hippies and over 35 bands to try and see it was impossible to be in all places all the time. Woodstock was also so much more than the music. It was meeting people, skinny-dipping, seeing friends you never expected to see, and watching and feeling “Hippiedom” in all its splendor and glory. You ate food from the Hog Farm and saw makeshift shops selling drug paraphernalia and crafts and clothing… things you’d never see back home. But it was also a big test of your composure and patience. You had to put up with sleeping on the ground and long lines to take a pee and when the rains came… well you got wet and had to deal with the mud. There were many varied groups of people there. No one ever thought Woodstock would be as big as it was, it was a spontaneous happening, but it happened for a very clear reason: we were yearning for a new coherent American mythology. But I wasn’t a Hippy, just a guy inspired to do well, make a difference if I could.I am an unconventional character, a red neck / hippy who got most of my pleasures in the country. You couldn't keep me off the mountains or away from the Delaware River valley where I organized canoe trips for 12 years. My red neck came out strongly living in upstate New York, a lake filled, mountainous and river filled country. I like upstate people; they're down home hard work scrabble to live values. In the NYC I never liked the woe is me lazy good for nothing crowd that angled for government benefits at every turn.P.S. Have you actually hung out with people who call themselves "rednecks"? Quite a lot of them are just as anti-establishment as the hippies. In that vein, I'm a little of the first version of "redneck" (the working guy who doesn't like "the man" very much), and a little hippie in the more old-school sense (who doesn't like "the man" very much).In retirement I moved to Georgia and in my neck of the woods, we have a great number of 'rednecks' around us. I think what many equate as "redneck" nowadays is nothing more than someone who lives a country lifestyle and because the person on the outside looking in is not in tune with these people. In fact, I myself am half redneck by choice and the other half a happy hippy by nature.What' are the differences? Red necks love freedom for their kind and are afraid of freedom other belief systems have while Hippies love freedom for everyone. Another difference is red necks tend to love their country while hippies often have a huge suspicious disdain for it. But the real basic difference is red necks are basic down to earth human being while hippies tend to be existentially motivated by egalitarianism and think about the universality of humanity. And they are usually inherently weird like me.Out here in Georgia what you call redneck we call cousin . . . it is not like the white racist supremacist mentality of yesteryear. It's more like taking care of your own, being close to the earth, living on it and from it. Protecting what you scratched out of it, to insure survival of the species. It's about honor and respect and lending a helping hand. There are a lot of weird and different type people in the cities, but out here in the country, it's a different ball game. We are more the same kind, we stick together, what happens to one happens to all. We protect that, we honor that . . . it's the land we hold scared, the family unit and our constitutional 2nd amendment rights.I do however dislike the worst kind, religious fundamentalist rednecks . . . the ultra conservative crazy dogmatic evangelical brainless judgmental type . . . You will love these evangelicals if you are white, conservative, Tea Party republican, a Trump supporter, want to install their version of Christ [very judgmental] in schools and government, are anti Gay, never celebrate Civil Rights heroes and avoid any discussion on.I guess those socially liberal rednecks can be called libertarians of course, while the old school hippies are more like libertarian socialist. Though many new generations of libertarian are neo-hippies. Also, rednecks are very much against gay marriage, which I have no problem with. Rednecks believe that you have to be able to do hard work to survive. They believe that you must know how to take care of yourself. They have a value system, contrary to popular belief.Disrespect their morals; there God, their country, and they will be on you like white on rice! And I do love red necks when it comes to patriotism. Today we have black NFL football players kneeling during the national anthem. I hate that! They need a strong red neck kick in the ass. Would love to see it.Am I a conservative hippy? I guess I am joking, but only halfway! I am somewhat conservative but not a republican. I stopped going to church because of the constant evangelical judgmentalism, hateful messaging and support for Trump. I taught my children to stand up for themselves and not look up to ANY president/government official/ celebrity/sports star, but to be decent, kind and fair to all.I think I am living proof that the cultures are very much the same when it comes right down to it. I was raised in the city, took my pleasures in the country, learned to hunt and fish, respect the land, to appreciate all of creation as a gift. When I came of age in the socially construct of the 1960s, I rebelled and found the hippie vagabonds of the rainbow family. I am neither a hippie nor a redneck, but the perfect blend of both cultures.And as my man Jeff Foxworthy says -You an EXTREME Redneck When . . ..1. You let your 14-year-old daughter smoke at the dinner table in front of her kids.2. The Blue Book value of your truck goes up and down depending on how much gas is in it.3. You've been married three times and still have the same in-laws.4. You think a woman who is out of your league bowls on a different night.5. You wonder how service stations keep their rest rooms so clean.6. Someone in your family died right after saying, 'Hey, guys, watch this.'7. You think Dom Perignon is a Mafia leader.8. Your wife's hairdo was once ruined by a ceiling fan.9. Your junior prom offered day care.10. You think the last words of the Star-Spangled Banner are 'Gentlemen, start your engines.'11. You lit a match in the bathroom and your house exploded right off its wheels.12. The Halloween pumpkin on your porch has more teeth than your spouse.13. You have to go outside to get something from the fridge.14. One of your kids was born on a pool table.15. You need one more hole punched in your card to get a freebie at the House of Tattoos.16. You can't get married to your sweetheart because there's a law against it.17. You think loading the dishwasher means getting your wife drunk.18. Popping the hood involves removing at least two bungee cords.And in closing…Two good ol' boys in an Alabama trailer park were sitting around talking one afternoon over a cold beer after getting off work at the local Nissan plant. After a while the 1st guy says to the 2nd, "If'n I was to sneakover to your trailer Saturday & make love to your wife while you was off huntin' and she got pregnant and had a baby, would that make us kin?" The 2nd guy crooked his head sideways for a minute, scratched his head and squinted his eyes thinking real hard about the question. Finally, he says, "Well, I don't know about kin, but it would make us even!"

"Often" is a bit dubious. There are certainly many examples of prodigies who became leaders in their field and in some fields (chess, math, music), being a prodigy is almost a requirement for later becoming the best.I found a very comprehensive List of child prodigies on Wikipedia. While this list no doubt suffers from selection bias, it does help elucidate the absolute number of field leaders who began as child prodigies (and there are a lot). It's pretty long, but definitely worth skimming through.MathematicsBorn 1600–1699Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz (1606–1682) was a Spanish scholastic philosopher, ecclesiastic, mathematician, and writer. He was a precocious child, early delving into serious problems in mathematics and even publishing astronomical tables in his tenth year.Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher who wrote a treatise on vibrating bodies at the age of nine; his first proof, on a wall with a piece of coal, at 11 years old, and a theorem by 16 years old. He is famous for Pascal's theorem and many other contributions in mathematics, philosophy, and physics.Born 1700–1799André-Marie Ampère (1775–1836) wrote a treatise on conic sections at the age of 13 and mastered much of known mathematics by the age of 18.Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) made his first ground-breaking mathematical discoveries while still a teenager. Also at the age of 3 watched his father add up his accounts and corrected him.[4][5]Born 1800–1899William Rowan Hamilton (1805–1865), a mathematician, read Hebrew at seven years old, and studied Arabic, Persian, Greek, Latin, Syriac, Sanskrit and four other continental languages at 12 years old.[6]Évariste Galois (1811–1832), as a bored and rebellious Lycée pupil was introduced to Legendre's book on geometry. In the words of E.T. Bell he, "read it as easily as other boys read a pirate yarn". Ignoring his teachers, he himself sought out and studied the works of Lagrange and Abel.[4]Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887–1920), was an Indian mathematician and autodidact who, with almost no formal training in pure mathematics, learned college-level mathematics by age 11, and generated his own theorems in number theory and Bernoulli numbers by age 13 (including independently re-discovering Euler's identity).[7]Norbert Wiener (1894–1964) began graduate studies at age 14 at Harvard and was awarded PhD at 18 for a dissertation on mathematical logic.[8]William James Sidis (1898–1944) set a record in 1909 by becoming the youngest person to enroll at Harvard College, at 11 years old.[9]Born 1900–1999Ted Kaczynski (born May 22, 1942), the "Unabomber", was a child prodigy who excelled academically from an early age. Kaczynski was accepted into Harvard University at the age of 16, where he earned an undergraduate degree, and later earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. He became an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley at age 25, but resigned two years later.[10]Per Enflo (born 1944), Swedish mathematician, also a piano prodigy[11]Charles Fefferman (born April 18, 1949) Entered college at age eleven, later becoming the youngest full professor in the United States. He has won many major awards in mathematics, including the Fields medal.Sheila Sri Prakash (born 1955), was an acclaimed dancer of Bharatanatyam, having given her first critically acclaimed performance on stage, when she was six years of age. She had a prolific career in the Arts between 1961 - 1984, with accomplishments as a Kuchipudidancer, Veenai musician, a gifted painter and sculptor. She is currently a world-renowned Architect, having been named to the "Top 100 Most Influential Architects in the World Today" by Il Giornale Dell' Architettura and has several international award-winning works to her credit as a thought leading design theorist. She created the Reciprocal Design Index as part of her role on the Global Agenda Council on Design Innovation at the World Economic Forum and currently serves on the council for the Role of the Arts in Society.Jay Luo (born 1970), received his B.Sc. from Boise State University with honors in mathematics at the age of 12 to become the youngest university graduate in United States history.[12][13]Ruth Lawrence (born 1971), passed the Oxford University interview entrance examination in mathematics, coming first out of all 530 candidates sitting the examination at the age of 10. At the age of 13 she became the youngest to graduate from the University of Oxford in modern times.[4]Jason Levy (born 1972), began York University in Toronto in 1982 at age 10. Graduated with Specialized Honours B.A. in Mathematics at 14.[14] Received his M.Sc. (Mathematics) from the University of Toronto in 1987 at age 15. Completed his PhD in Mathematics at University of Toronto in 1993 at age 20.Terence Tao (born 1975), youngest medalist in International Mathematical Olympiad history, at age 10.[15]Akshay Venkatesh (born 1981), won a bronze medal at the International Physics Olympiad at 11 years of age. Won a Bronze medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) at 12. Graduated university at age 15 with a double major in mathematics/physics. Finished his PhD at 20 from Princeton University. Associate Professor at 23.Erik Demaine (born 1981), became an assistant professor at MIT at 20 years of age.[citation needed]Gabriel Carroll (born 1982), earned the highest SAT score in the state of California, including a perfect 800 in math, in seventh grade.[16][17]Praveen Kumar Gorakavi (born 1989), is recognized as a young polymath for his innovations in diverse fields of science and engineering. At an age of 13, he developed a mathematical formula for perpetual calendar calculations, which also mentions historic dates observed on various types of calendars. At an age of 15 years, he designed a low-cost artificial leg with an ability for knee and ankle movement. He has also developed missile technology at an age of 15.[18][19] Praveen is the youngest recipient of one of the highest civilian awards of Andhra Pradesh state, Ugadi Gaurav Puraskar, from state government of Andhra Pradesh.[20] Praveen is also considered the youngest recipient of the FAPCCI award 'Outstanding Engineer/Scientist for the state of Andhra Pradesh'.[21]Anne-Marie Imafidon (born 1990), is one of the youngest students to graduate from the University of Oxford.[22][23][24]Promethea Olympia Kyrene Pythaitha (born March 13, 1991),[25] is an American child genius with an IQ of 173. She started reading at age 1,[26] began learning college-level calculus at age 7,[27] and at age 13 became the youngest student to complete work for a bachelor's degree from Montana State University in Mathematics.[26]Kelvin Doe (born 1996), taught himself engineering at the age of 13 and built his own radio station in Sierra Leone, where he plays music and broadcasts news under the name "DJ Focus." He was one of the finalists in GMin's Innovate Salone idea competition, in which Doe built a generator from scrap metals. Doe would constantly use discarded pieces of scrap to build transmitters, generators, and batteries, as well.[28][29] As a result of his accomplishment, he received an invitation to the United States and subsequently became the youngest person to participate in the "Visiting Practitioner's Program" at MIT.[30][31][32][improper synthesis?]Cameron Thompson (born 1997), began studying for his degree at the age of 11 with the Open University whilst still a high school student. At age 15 Cameron completed his degree studies at the same time as his GCSE examinations and at age 16 was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours.[33][34][35] Cameron was the subject of the BBC Documentary "Growing Pains of a Teenage Genius".Raúl Chávez Sarmiento (born 1997), second youngest person to win a Bronze, Silver, and Gold medal at the International Math Olympiad.[36]Born 2000–presentTristan Pang (born 2001), started reading independently and doing high school math at the age of two, sat in on the Cambridge International Examinations IGCSE maths (Year 11 / O Level) and earned the top grade of A*, scoring 97% at nine, by age eleven he top scored with A* at the Cambridge A level exams (Year 13), and delivered aTEDxYouth talk.[37] He started his university studies at the University of Auckland and created a free online learning platform, Tristan's Learning Hub, by the age of twelve.[38][39]Kautilya Pandit (born 2007) [40] displays good memory power regarding current affairs, general knowledge and geographical statistics.[41] He could recollect details of 213 countries and can answer questions about world geography, per capita income, gross domestic product, politics, the economy, etc.[40] Psychologists from Kurukshetra University have noted the grasping powers of Kautilya and expressed their desire to investigate his recalling capacity. C.R.Darolia, Chairman, Psychology Department said that "the boy is a wonder kid and he may have IQ around 130 which is rare for his age group." [42]Mental calculatorsNote: Several mathematicians were mental calculators when they were still children. Mental calculation is not to be confused with mathematics. This section is for child prodigies largely or primarily known for calculating skills.Zerah Colburn (1804–1839) had a major display of his ability at age eight.[43][44]Ettore Majorana (1906–1938) could multiply two 3 digit numbers in his head in seconds at the age of 4.[45][46]John von Neumann (1903–1957) A "mental calculator" by six years old, who could tell jokes in classical Greek.[47][48]Priyanshi Somani (born 1998) won 1st place in the 2010 Mental Calculation World Cup at age 11.Jerry Newport (born 1948), autistic calculating savant at age seven, already using calculus to compute third and higher roots, title holder of "Most Versatile Calculator", won in 2010. Self-discovered much number theory in elementary school—perfect numbers, Fibonacci, etc.Truman Henry Safford (1836–1901) could square 18 digit numbers at ten years old; later in life, he became an astronomer.[49]Shakuntala Devi (1929–2013) was an Indian prodigy mental calculator, who was known for her very rapid calculation abilities - despite having no formal education.[50]PhysicsEnrico Fermi In 1918, Fermi enrolled at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa. In order to enter the Institute, candidates had to take a difficult entrance exam, which included an essay. The given theme was Specific characteristics of Sounds (Italian: Caratteri distintivi dei suoni).[51] The 17-year-old Enrico Fermi chose to derive and solve the partial differential equation for a vibrating rod, applying Fourier analysis. The examiner, Prof. Giuseppe Pittarelli, interviewed Fermi and concluded that his entry would have been commendable even for a doctoral degree. Enrico Fermi achieved first place in the classification of the entrance exam.Mikaela Fudolig (born 1991), finished college at 16 years old with a degree in physics, summa cum laude and class valedictorian (Class of 2007), at the University of the Philippines. She entered the university at 11 years old. Currently, she is studying physics at the same university for the Master's degree.[52]Christopher Hirata (born 1982) Youngest American (at 13) to win a gold medal in the International Physics Olympiad (1996).[53] Entered Caltech at the age of 14, earned PhD in Physics from Princeton at age 22.[54]Abdus Salam (1926–1996) "A very precocious child, Salam could read and write at four and perform lengthy multiplication and division".[55] At the age of fourteen, Salam scored the highest marks ever recorded for the Matriculation Examination at the Punjab University, while he wrote a mathematical paper on Srinivasa Ramanujan at the same age.Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958) had an understanding of advanced mathematics by the age of 13 and graduated with a PhD in Physics at the age of 21.[56]Tathagat Avatar Tulsi (born 1987) received an undergraduate degree at 10 years old,[57] got a Ph.D. at 21 & was offered a position of assistant professor at IIT B at 22.Kim Ung-Yong (born March 8, 1962) graduated with a Ph.D. in physics at the age of 15.Taylor Wilson (born 1994), nuclear scientist and engineer who built a bomb at age 10, and a nuclear fusion reactor at age 14. Improved nuclear technology and made a low-cost cherenhov particle detector at age 17, as well as winning the Intel Science Fair.Luis Balbino Arroyo (born 1990) finished college at 16 years old with a degree in physics summa cum laude. He entered university at 11 years old. Obtained a master's degree in physics and another in economics at age 18. Juris doctor and bar exam at age 22.[58]Jacob Barnett (born 1998) could recite the alphabet forwards and backwards at age 3, studied college level courses at age 8, and gained a full scholarship to IUPUI when he was 10 years old. He is working on his PHD in quantum mechanics/physics.ChemistryAinan Celeste Cawley (born 1999) passed Chemistry- O level at 7 years and 1 month (the youngest in the world) and studied Chemistry at tertiary level, at a Polytechnic, from 8 years and 4 months old.[59]BiologyColin Carlson (born 1996),[60] enrolled at the University of Connecticut at age 12, earned a bachelor's degree in ecology and evolutionary biology and another in environmental studies (2012) and a master's degree in the same subject (2013) at the University of Connecticut, at age 15 and 16 respectively.[61] He plans to earn his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology and a degree in environmental law for a career in conservation science. He intends to earn the two degrees by age 22.[62] Carlson is currently Ph.D. student in the Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at University of California, Berkeley.[63]Evan Ehrenberg – born in 1993, at age 16 started a Ph.D. program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences department studying computational neuroscience. Graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. degree in cognitive science with an emphasis in computational modeling, highest honors, at age 16. Won the Robert J. Glushko Prize for distinguished undergraduate research in cognitive science at age 16 for his research on a 'Layered sparse associative network for soft pattern classification and contextual pattern completion.'[64][65][66]Gabriel See, born in 1998, achieved a 720 out of 800 score on the SAT math test at age 8, Performed T-cell receptor research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center at age 10, and at age 11 won a silver medal at the international Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition on synthetic biology for undergraduate college students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2011 he was named one of the US's top 10 high school inventors by Popular Science magazine. He has been taking upper division courses each semester at the University of Washington since 2010.[67]PsychologyJean Piaget (1896–1980) published a paper on the albino sparrow at 11 years old, and later became a psychologist.[68]Computer scienceArfa Karim (1995–2012), a Pakistani girl, became one of the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in 2004, at the age of 9.Stephan Wolski (born 1998) completed high school and enrolled at the College of Southern Maryland at the age of 13 and at the age of 15 graduated with an A.S. Degrees in Applied Science and Technology, he plans to earn his bachelor's degree in Computer science at the University of Maryland.[69]Joshua Travis Mann (born 1982) invented his own object-oriented computer language at the age of 8, completed his education at the age of 15, and became a technology consultant for several fortune 500 companies and the Department of Defense before turning 18.[70]Babar Iqbal (born 2001), a Pakistani boy in 2010 became an MCP at the age of 9.[71]Ayan Qureshi (born 2009), on 27 September 2014, became the youngest MCP in the world at the age of 5 years 11 months.[72]Erik Demaine (born 1981), completed his bachelor's degree when only 14 and completed his PhD at University of Waterloo when only 20 years old in the field of computer science.MedicineBalamurali Ambati (born 1977) graduated from high school at 11 years old, was a college junior by 12 years old, and a doctor at 17 years old.[73]Avicenna (c. 980-1037) memorized the Qur'an at 10 years old and studied medicine at 13 years old.[74]Sho Yano (born 1990) started college at nine years old and graduated summa cum laude at 12 years old from Loyola University Chicago. By 12 years old, he attended thePritzker School of Medicine.[75]Materials engineeringAlia Sabur (born 1989) received an undergraduate degree at 14 years old, and became a college professor at 18 years old.[76]Mechanical engineeringKarl Benz (1844–1929) started at the scientifically oriented Lyzeum at nine years old, went on to study at the Poly-Technical University under the instruction of Ferdinand Redtenbacher, and, on September 30, 1860, at an age of just 15, he passed the entrance exam for mechanical engineering at the University of Karlsruhe, which he subsequently attended. Benz was graduated July 9, 1864 at age nineteen.[77] Karl Benz later became the pioneering founder of the automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benzdesigning the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, widely regarded as the very first automobile.Sunny Sanwar (born 1989) could fluently read, write or speak six languages by the age of eight, and drew exceptionally detailed portraits by age seven (eventually going on to be one of the youngest artists to have a solo exhibition at the National Art Gallery with work in permanent collection at the Liberation War Museum).[78] He finished four years of high school in 8 months with honors[79] and received a scholarship at Kansas University, Engineering School at 16, where he was a college senior (final year student) inMechanical Engineering by 18 and taught university courses in engineering at 21.[80]Acting/directingWilliam Henry West Betty was a sensation as a boy doing Voltaire and Shakespeare roles.[81][82]Jackie Cooper was the youngest nominee for the Best Actor Oscar at age nine years old.[83]Quinn Cummings was an Oscar and Golden Globe Award nominee at 10 years old.[84] She is now a businesswoman and blogger.Brandon deWilde at seven years old, was the first child actor to win the Donaldson Award; his talent was praised by John Gielgud in the following year.[85] He was also a nominee for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at 11 years old, in Shane[86] and starred in his own sitcom television series on ABC at the same time.[85]Jodelle Ferland received a daytime Emmy nomination at four years old and, at 12 years old, was nominated at the 27th Genie Awards for lead actress.[87]Justin Henry was the youngest nominee for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at eight years old, in Kramer vs. Kramer.[86]Patty McCormack was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar at 11 years old, in an era when child actors could still be nominated for the Juvenile Award.[88]Frankie Michaels, at 11 years old, received praise[89] and a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in Mame.[90]Tatum O'Neal won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar at 10 years old, for her 1973 role in Paper Moon, making her the youngest person ever to win a regularly awarded Oscar.[84]Haley Joel Osment was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at 11 years old.[86][91]Anna Paquin won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar at 11 years old.[84][92]Ricky Schroder won a Golden Globe Award at nine years old, youngest winner ever.[93]Kishan Shrikanth – Directed a feature film on 35 mm, of 130 mins Care of Footpath at age nine and entered the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest director of a professional level feature film.[94]Shirley Temple, at five years old, showed talent as an actress and tap dancer. When she was seven years old, she received a special Academy Award. She was described as a prodigy by Time (magazine) in 1936.[95]Ernest Truex (1889–1973) performed Shakespeare at six years old.[96][97]Quvenzhané Wallis was the youngest person to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress at age 9.[98][99] During the filming, she was only 6 years old.[100]MusicSee List of music prodigies.LiteratureRituparna Bhattacharjee, an Indian child prodigy who wrote Bhutiya at the age of 11 in 1998.[101]Rabindranath Tagore - Indian poet, short story writer, song composer, novelist, playwright, essayist and painter and a Nobel Laureate (first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913), wrote his first poem when he was only eight years old. He published his first large poetry collection in 1877. He wrote his first short story and dramas when he was only 16 years of age.[102][103]Rubén Darío – Nicaraguan poet.William Cullen Bryant was published at 10 years old; at 13 years old, he published a book of political satire poems .[104]Thomas Chatterton started as a poet at 11 years old. He began writing the poems that would make him famous at 12 years old.[105][106]Lucretia Maria Davidson, by 11 years old, had written some poems of note; before her death at 16 years old, she received praise as a writer.[107]Marjorie Fleming, who died in 1811 before the age of nine, became a published poet half a century later.[108]Barbara Newhall Follett began working on a novel at 8 and was published by age 12.[109]H. P. Lovecraft recited poetry at two years old and wrote long poems at five years old.[110][111]Christopher Marlowe: as a child, attracted the attention of Matthew Parker and went on to be a major 16th century London playwright.[112] He is the eponymous Marlowe of the Marlovian theory of Shakespearean authorship.Alexander Pope: was a child prodigy as a poet, with gifts all but universally acknowledged.[113] He is the third most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson.Arthur Rimbaud wrote influential French poetry throughout his early and late teens. Victor Hugo described him at the time as "an infant Shakespeare".[114]Henriett Seth F.: Henriett had a long history of visual art, poetry and writing in her childhood; beginning at age nine and at age thirteen,[115] but she gave up creative music career altogether at the age of 13.[116] Henriett universal effect of all that was what we now call autism and savant syndrome[117][118]Lope de Vega wrote his first play at 12 years old.[119][120] He could also read Latin proficiently at the age of five years.[121]Minou Drouet caught the notice of French critics at the age of eight, leading to speculation that her mother was the true author of her poetry. She later proved herself to be the author.[122]Adora Svitak is an American writer who teaches literature on Internet at an early age, and show writing abilities at age 6.Visual artsJohn Everett Millais was a painter who entered the Royal Academy at 11 years old.[123][124]Alexandra Nechita is a painter who had a solo exhibit at eight years old.[125]Pablo Picasso painted Picador at eight years old. See List of Picasso artworks 1889–1900.Kieron Williamson, an eight-year-old watercolor artist from Norfolk, England whose second exhibition sold out in 14 minutes, raising £18,200 for 16 paintings.[126]Wang Yani had her paintings appear on postage stamps at six years old and in worldwide museum exhibits at 12 years old.[127]Wang Ximeng was taught by Emperor Huizong of Song himself and painted some of the most highly regarded works of Chinese art before dying at age 23.[128][129]Zhu Da became a poet by seven years old. He later became a painter.[130][131]Angelica Kauffman had professional commissions at thirteen[132] and was an established artist by 21.[133]Akiane Kramarik born in 1994, sold paintings worth $3M USD at age 7Marla Olmstead born in 2000, sold paintings worth over $20,000 at age 6 and had international recognition.Aelita Andre born in 2007, sold paintings worth over $30,000 at age 4 and had international recognition.Henriett Seth F.: Henriett had a long history of visual art, poetry and writing in her childhood; beginning at age nine and at age thirteen,[115] but she gave up creative music career altogether at the age of 13.[116] Henriett universal effect of all that was what we now call autism and savant syndrome[117][118]Edmund Thomas Clint (1976–1983) was an Indian child prodigy.[134] He is known for having drawn over 25,000 paintings during his life.[135]AcademicsNguyễn Hiền (1234–?), a Vietnamese prodigy, who earned the first-rank doctorate laureate in the year of 1247 when he was 13 years old.[136]Michael Kearney earned the first of several degrees at 10 years old. He became a college teacher by 17 years old.[137][138]Gregory R. Smith – entered college at 10 years old and was first nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize at 12 years old.[139][140]Colin Maclaurin went to study divinity in University of Glasgow at the age of 11 and remained until he was 19 years, 7 months old in the year 1717 when he was elected professor of mathematics, where for nearly three hundred years he held the record as the world's youngest professor.Alexander Faludy in 1998 became the youngest undergraduate at the University of Cambridge since 1773.[141][142]Pierre Bouguer (1698–1758) was appointed professor of hydrography in 1713 at the age of 15.Humane Letters: Leadership, Teaching, EvangelismAman Rehman made more than 1000 animated movies, beginning at three years old.,[143] and, at 8, he became the youngest college-lecturer in the world.[144]Cao Chun (Born unknown, died 210) was the son of the famous Chinese warlord Cao Cao became the youngest person to ever fight for an army higher than the rank ofmajor.Tavi Gevinson (born 1996) was a nationally esteemed fashion writer by the age of 12 and ran an online magazine by the age of 15.Mohammad Hossein Tabatabai (born 1991) memorized all the Quran at the age of 5.[145]Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr (1935–1980) was an Iraqi Shi'a cleric who memorized the Quran at a very early age and wrote his first book by the age of 12 called Fadak in History. He later went on to lay the foundation for modern economics and banking in Islam. He also wrote Our Philosophy, which is an important a critique of both socialism and capitalism, as well as write the textbook for Jurisprudence, which is used by many Islamic Seminaries today. He was one of the leading Islamic intellectuals of the 20th century and died at the age of 45.Law/political science/philosophyJeremy Bentham studied Latin at three years old and entered The Queen's College, Oxford at 12 years old.[146][147]Hugo Grotius: entered the University of Leiden to study under Joseph Scaliger at age 11. At age 15 he was acclaimed by King Henry IV of France as the 'miracle of Holland'.[148]Saul Kripke was invited to apply for a teaching post at Harvard while still in high school.[149][150]John Stuart Mill knew several dead languages by eight years old and studied scholastic philosophy at 12 years old.[151][152]Stephen A. Baccus began studying law at 14 years old, graduated from the University of Miami School of Law at 16 years old, and passed the Florida Bar Exam at 17 years old. He fought minimum-age requirements for bar-exam applicants in both New York and Miami.[153][154]Pichamon Yeophantong became the youngest undergraduate at Thammasat University at age 13, graduating with BA (First-Class Honours, 4.00GPA and King Bhumipol Award) at 17; completed MA (First-Class Honours) at age 18 and PhD at 22 in International Relations from the Australian National University; at 23, became youngest ever Global Leaders Fellow at University College, Oxford and Princeton University; could speak 7 languages by her early teens.[155][156][157][158]Linguistics/translationMaria Gaetana Agnesi (1718–1799) was a multilingual prodigy who went on to become a mathematician.Asad Ullah Qayyum, at 7 years old, was able to deliver speeches in 12 languages.[159]John Barratier could speak German, Latin, French and Dutch at the age of 4; knew six languages at the age of 11.[160][161]George Boole (1815–1864) could speak English, Latin, Greek, German, Italian, and French by his early teens.Jean-François Champollion knew several dead languages by the time he was 10 years old and read an important paper at the Grenoble Academy at 16 years old.[162][163]Edmond-Charles Genêt (1763–1834) could read French, English, Italian, Latin, Swedish, and German by the age of 12.Nathan Leopold (1904–1971) started speaking at the age of four months; he reportedly had an IQ of 210,[164] though this is not directly comparable to scores on modern IQ tests.Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494) could speak 22 languages at the age of 18.[165]Dorothea von Rodde-Schlözer (1770–1825) mastered 9 languages by the age of 16; French, English, Dutch, Swedish, Italian, Latin, Spanish, Hebrew and Greek among other achievements.[citation needed]Thomas Young (scientist), more notable as a physicist, was a polyglot at a young age, who worked on translating Demotic Egyptian.[163][166][167]William Wotton could read passages in English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew at the age of five. Graduated from Cambridge aged thirteen having acquired Arabic, Syriac, Chaldee, French, Spanish and Italian, together with a good working knowledge of logic, philosophy, mathematics, geography, chronology, and history.[168]SportsJoy Foster represented Jamaica at table tennis at the Caribbean championships in Trinidad in 1958, aged only 8 years old.[169] In the same year she won the Jamaican championship titles in Women's Singles (beating defending champion 20-year-old Madge Bond in the final), Women's Doubles (paired with Madge Bond), and Mixed Doubles (paired with Fuarnado Roberts).[170][171] Prior to this she had already won many local trophies.[172] She went on to win the Caribbean women's singles title twice,[173] and competed in the United States open championships on several occasions, winning various youth-level titles.[174] In 1961 she was named the first Jamaican sportswoman of the year.[175]Ariel Hsing, a ping pong prodigy[176][177]Fu Mingxia (伏明霞) is a diver[178][179] became the youngest world champion ever in any sport at age 12,[180] and was an Olympic gold medalist at 13 years old.Jet Li (Chinese name: Li Lianjie (李连杰)) is a Chinese martial artist, who has won several gold medals in wushu at the All China Games at the age of 12.[181]Sachin Tendulkar – Batsman (cricket). Made debut at the age of 16. In his early matches he hit Abdul Qadir, a prominent leg spinner of the time for 4 sixes in an over, hit a century at Perth, world's fastest pitch. Representing India for 21st year in International cricket. Has scored 100 international centuries, the first batsman to get 200* in ODI.Michelle Wie qualified for the USGA Women's Amateur Public Links at 10 years old and won the same event at 13 years old, making her the youngest person both to qualify for and win a USGA adult national championship.[182]Wayne Gretzky was skating with 10-year-olds at 6 years old. By 10 years old, he scored 378 goals and 139 assists, in just 85 games, with the Nadrofsky Steelers.[183]Tiger Woods was a child prodigy, introduced to golf before the age of 2, by his athletic father Earl. In 1984 at the age of 8, he won the 9–10 boys' event, the youngest age group available, at the Junior World Golf Championships. He first broke 80 at age 8. He went on to win the Junior World Championships six times, including four consecutive wins from 1988 to 1991.[citation needed]Nadia Comăneci won 3 gold medals at the 1976 Olympics and was the first female to achieve a perfect score of 10 in gymnastics at the age of 14.Ricky Rubio started his basketball career with DKV Joventut at the age of 14, becoming the youngest player to ever play in the Spanish ACB League, and played in the 2008 Summer Olympics at the age of 17 with eventual silver-medalists Spain, becoming the youngest ever to reach an Olympic basketball final.Guan Tianlang won the 2012 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in golf shortly after his 14th birthday.[184] The following April, while still 14, he made the cut at the 2013 Masters Tournament, becoming the youngest male player ever to do so at a major championship.[185]Yulia Lipnitskaya won the gold medal in the team figure skating event at the 2014 Winter Olympics at the age of 15. She also won the 2014 European Championships, becoming the youngest skater in ladies' singles in history to win that title.Games4-year-old Capablanca and his fatherGarry Kasparov was a chess child prodigy who ranked in the top 15 players in the world at age 16 and is considered by many as the greatest chess player of all time. He became the World Chess Champion at the age of 22, the youngest of all time.Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship at 14 years old and became, at the age of 15, the youngest Grandmaster in history at the time. He became the World Chess Champion in 1972.José Raúl Capablanca was World Chess Champion 1921-1927, and is considered to be one of the best chess players of all time.[186]Samuel Reshevsky learned to play chess at age four, and was soon acclaimed as a child prodigy. At age eight he was beating accomplished players with ease, and giving simultaneous exhibitions.Cho Hunhyun was a professional go player at nine years old.[187]Andy Costello, a chess prodigy who went on to become a chess boxer.[188]Willie Mosconi, nicknamed "Mr. Pocket Billiards", played against professionals at six years old.[189]Ronnie O'Sullivan, a snooker player, scored his first century break at 10 years old,[190] his first maximum at 15 years old, and was the youngest-ever winner of a ranking event at 17 years old.[citation needed]Nicholas Patterson, a chess prodigy who went on to become a mathematician.[191]Magnus Carlsen was, at the age of 13 years, 148 days, the second-youngest chess Grandmaster of all time[192] (currently third-youngest)[193] and also holds the records for the youngest player to break the 2700-Elo barrier (at the age of 16 years, 213 days)[194] and the 2800-Elo barrier (at the age of 18 years, 336 days),[195] and youngest player to be ranked No. 1 in the world by FIDE.[196][197] His peak rating is 2882, the highest in history.Judit Polgár, a chess prodigy (and the strongest woman chess player in history) who became a chess Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, the youngest of the time.Hou Yifan became the youngest female chess grandmaster at the age of 14 years and 6 months in 2008.[198]Sergey Karjakin, a chess prodigy who holds the record for both the youngest International Master and the youngest Grandmaster. He has been rated as high as No. 4 in the world by FIDE.Carissa Yip, an American chess prodigy, became the youngest U.S. female chess expert (since the U.S. Chess Federation started electronically keeping records in 1991) at age 9 in 2013.[199]Irina Krush won the 1998 U.S. Women's Chess Championship at age 14 to become the youngest U.S. Women's Champion ever.[200]Awonder Liang became the youngest chess expert in United States Chess Federation (USCF) history on April 16, 2011, when he played in the Hales Corners Challenge chess tournament in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a rating of 2000 at the age of 8 years and 7 days. On March 23, 2013, he became the youngest person ever to obtain a master's rating within the United States Chess Federation. Awonder was 17 days shy of his 10th birthday at the time of this achievement.[201]