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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -

When we talk about child prodigies, Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart often comes to mind. Perhaps it's because he began playing the harpsichord when he was three and was playing a full music piece before turning five!

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -

By age five, Mozart was writing his compositions, and at six years old he went on tour with his father and sister, performing for audiences.

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Pablo Picasso -

The famous Spanish painter's first words were "piz, piz" which is short for lapis, the Spanish word for "pencil." Picasso painted 'Le petit picador jaune' when was eight years old.

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Wayne Gretzky -

The ice hockey star was just six years old when he started playing against boys aged 10. By age 10 himself, Gretzky had scored 378 goals and added 139 assists in one season alone.

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Shirley Temple -

The American child star started her film career at the age of three. Shirley Temple was awarded the first ever Academy Juvenile Award when she was six.

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Stevie Wonder -

Steveland Judkins Morris was born blind and into poverty, but went on to become a successful music artist. Little Stevie Wonder signed his first record deal at age 11, and was 12 when his debut album was released.

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Stevie Wonder -

He then earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1963 as the "Youngest Solo Artist at No. 1."

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Tiger Woods -

The famous golf prodigy stared training with his father when he was just two. At age eight, Woods won his first Junior World Golf Championship, and the rest is history.

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Bobby Fischer -

At age 15, Bobby Fischer became the youngest Chess Grandmaster in history (at that time). The American chess prodigy went on to become the 11th World Chess Champion.

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Anna Paquin -

The actress was 11 years old when she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 'The Piano' (1993).

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John Stuart Mill -

The British thinker, philosopher, and politician mastered Greek by the age of three. By the age of 10, John Stuart Mill had read all the major Greek philosophers' works, as well as the Roman philosophers, which he read in Latin.

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Blaise Pascal -

The French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher was just nine when he wrote a treatise on vibrating bodies.

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Blaise Pascal -

Pascal became known for Pascal's theorem, which he developed when he was 16. Not to mention that he was the inventor of the mechanical calculator.

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Clara Schumann -

German-born musician Clara Schumann started composing piano pieces at the age of 10. Schumann played her first concert in 1830, at the age of 11.

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Kim Ung-Yong -

South Korea's Kim Ung-Yong could hold a conversation when he was just six months old, and read four languages by the age of four. Kim Ung-Yong's IQ was estimated to be over 210. Today, he's an accomplished civil engineer.

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Willie Mosconi -

Willie Mosconi caught the world's attention at the age of six, when he played an exhibition match against the reigning world billiards champion, Ralph Greenleaf.

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Willie Mosconi -

"Mr. Pocket Billiards" became a juvenile champion at the age of 11 and went on to win more World Straight Pool Championships than anyone else—15.

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Judit Polgar -

Judit Polgar was born in 1976 in Hungary. She stated entering chess tournaments by the age of six.

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Judit Polgar -

Polgar defeated her first grandmaster, Vlatko Kovacevic, when she was 15, becoming the youngest chess grandmaster in history (at the time).

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Srinivasa Ramanujan -

Born in India in 1887, Srinivasa Ramanujan never received formal training in mathematics. But at age 16 he read an English textbook on advanced mathematics, and the rest is history.

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Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz -

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was born circa 1648 or 1651 (depending on the source) in New Spain (present-day Mexico).

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Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz -

She learned to read at the age of three, and went on to become an important literary figure who wrote a number of poems, plays, and philosophical works.

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John von Neumann -

Born in Hungary in 1903, John von Neumann was able to memorize pages from the telephone book when he was a young child. By the age of eight, Neumann had mastered calculus.

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John von Neumann -

John von Neumann went on to work on the Manhattan Project during World War II and became a prominent figure in mathematics, physics, and computing.

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Arthur Rimbaud -

The French poet published his first work in 1870, at the age of 15. Rimbaud's famous work, 'The Drunken Boat,' considered to be a masterpiece of French Symbolism, was published when he was just 16.

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Aelita Andre -

Aelita Andre started painting before turning one. At four years old, the young painter had her work exhibited at a New York City gallery.

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Taylor Ramon Wilson -

The young American nuclear physicist designed an innovative nuclear reactor when he was 14. Taylor Wilson then designed a compact radiation detector to be used at airport security.

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Terence Tao -

Australian-born Terence Tao, aka the "Mozart of Math," was an expert in arithmetic by the age of two. Tao started studying university-level math at the age of nine, and by the age of 20 he had a PhD in Math from Princeton.

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Rabindranath Tagore -

The Indian child prodigy wrote his first poem when he was eight. Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, this in 1913.

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Jean-Francois Champollion -

Jean-Francois Champollion was a talented linguist from a young age. The French philologist and orientalist became known as the decipherer of Egyptian hieroglyphs and for his work in Egyptology.

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Gregory Smith -

Shortly after his first birthday, the American child prodigy could memorize and recite books, as well as add sums. Smith entered Randolph-Macon college at age 10, where he majored in mathematics. Gregory Smith has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times.

Sources: (History) (Mental Floss) (Historyplex) 

See also: The curse of remembering everything

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