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    indigo Offline OP
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    There are many adults who've applied their intellectual gifts and talents to a wide variety of endeavors, with amazing results.

    Their example may serve as role models, debunking stereotypes and inspiring many gifted kids who have no local peer group.

    This is not necessarily a list of famous gifted people. Some have achieved great fame and fortune, while others are less well known, even obscure.

    Here are a few to start...

    Technology...
    In the technology arena there are well-known contemporaries, including:
    - Steve Jobs (Apple),
    - Mark Zuckerburg (Facebook),
    - Bill Gates (Microsoft),
    - Stephen Hawking.

    Mathematicians...
    - Mathematician Jacob Barnett is a living example of an amazing 2e success story.
    - How many are familiar with mathematician Alan Turing, and the role he played in ending WWII, depicted in the movie The Imitation Game (2014)?
    - Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson... Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

    Authors...
    - Elizabeth Zimmerman was a gifted individual who applied her efforts to knitting, and was also an author.
    - Author Sir Terry Pratchett, who suffered the onset of Alzheimer's and died at age 66.

    more Women...
    - Singer Lady Gaga and First Lady Michelle Obama are known to have been in gifted programs as children.
    - Marilyn Vos Savant, author and columnist, has been listed in the Guinness Book of Word Records for having the highest IQ test scores (albeit with some controversy as to how the scores were derived).
    - Candace Owens was 10 years old and in 5th grade, when she was placed in advanced classes based on high standardized test scores. She went on to college, paid off student loans, and now encourages others that it is possible to rise above poverty in the US and achieve success.
    - Phiona Mutesi, chess player.

    Lists...
    - There are books which give insight into successful entrepreneurs and influential visionaries.
    - This article offers Mensa's list of 10 smartest celebrities.
    - "Listovative" published this list of Top 12 People with Highest IQ in the World.

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    indigo Offline OP
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    Truman Capote, author, describes his experience (as quoted in his obit):
    'I was so different from everyone...'

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    indigo Offline OP
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    The mathematical calculation prowess and extreme memorization ability of author Daniel Tammet (1979-) are documented in this video, found on YouTube: The Boy With The Incredible Brain (Superhuman Documentary) - Real Stories, Published on Aug 22, 2015.

    Topics mentioned in this documentary include:
    - one of 9 children
    - childhood seizures, epilepsy diagnosis
    - autism
    - heightened "powers of perception"
    - gifted savants
    - synesthesia
    - "moving through a synesthetic landscape"
    - photographic memory
    - students calculating with an abacus
    - learning a new language in one week

    Other individuals mentioned in this documentary include:
    - Orlando Serrell (1968-)
    - Dane Bottino, savant artist
    - Kim Peek (1951-2009), inspiration for Dustin Hoffman's character Raymond Babbitt in the movie "Rain Man" (1988)
    - Dr. Darold Treffert, author of:
    - - - Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome,
    - - - Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant.

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    indigo Offline OP
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    Stephen R. Stafford II was homeschooled prior to becoming known as the youngest student at Morehouse College, which he attended from 2008-2012.
    It was once anticipated that he would graduate med school at age 22.

    Now an adult, using the moniker "Speedkicks", Stephen Stafford has recently been applying his genius to the Tekken gaming world, with Panda Global.

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    indigo Offline OP
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    Rashad Jennings, author, philanthropist, former NFL running back.

    NYT Bestseller:
    The [color:#993300]IF[/color] in L[color:#993300]IF[/color]E: How to Get Off Life's Sidelines and Become Your Best Self (2018)

    Rashad is the now also author of a new book series for middle-school kids:
    The Coin Slot Chronicles (2019)

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    indigo Offline OP
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    Yikes!

    Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos (a name which is a portmanteaux combining therapy + diagnosis) is the subject of recent 20/20 and HBO documentaries (The Dropout, and The Inventor, respectively). On the one hand, it sounds a bit like an idea that almost revolutionized health care... on the other hand it sounds like a scam (the biggest clue may have been firing anyone who asked questions).

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    indigo Offline OP
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    Adding a link to the thread on retired math professor and mentor, George Berzsenyi.

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    Ben Shapiro - the political commentator - apparently skipped 3rd and 9th grade and attended Harvard Law School. Now worth an estimated $8 million at 35 years old.


    Become what you are
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    indigo Offline OP
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    Adding a link to the thread A very intelligent and driven young role model, in the General Discussion forum.

    The articles linked from that thread include these people:
    - aerospace engineer and co-founder of a startup, Natalya Brikner (now Natalya Bailey),
    - co-founder Louis Perna,
    - coach and mentor Anna Rowley.

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    indigo Offline OP
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    Bill Gates' TED talk on global preparedness for pandemics (2015) has recently resurfaced, due to COVID-19 (coronavirus):
    The next outbreak? We're not ready
    Originally Posted by TEDtalk
    Let's look at the progression of Ebola over this year. About 10,000 people died, and nearly all were in the three West African countries. There's three reasons why it didn't spread more.

    1) The first is that there was a lot of heroic work by the health workers.
    They found the people and they prevented more infections.

    2) The second is the nature of the virus.
    Ebola does not spread through the air. And by the time you're contagious, most people are so sick that they're bedridden.

    3) Third, it didn't get into many urban areas.
    And that was just luck. If it had gotten into a lot more urban areas, the case numbers would have been much larger.

    Next time, we might not be so lucky.
    You can have a virus where people feel well enough while they're infectious that they get on a plane or they go to a market.
    Unfortunately, that describes COVID-19:
    a virus where people feel well enough while they're infectious that they get on a plane or they go to a market.

    While scientific advances are made, hopefully going forward, families will focus on self-reliance and personal preparedness, including
    - considering Red Cross emergency preparedness
    - maintaining a well-stocked pantry of basic food and paper products
    - following government-issued stay-at-home plans
    - returning to the advice and guidelines common during the corporate layoffs, down-sizing, right-sizing, and out-sourcing as the US economy changed dramatically during the 1980's - 1990's: live frugally, budget, and accumulate a rainy day savings fund of 3-6 months of income/expenses. Having a financial cushion may be as important in future decades as it was for many families back then.

    Stay healthy.
    Be well.

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