historical perspectives by Jennifer L. Jolly, Ph.D., and Justin Bruno The Public’s Fascination With Prodigious Youth The past several centuries have presented well-doc- his ability to already speak, read, and write in his umented cases of prodigious youth. Many repre- native German (Whipple, 1924). sented extreme examples of children who had burned Heineken’s popularity was enhanced due to brightly and then faded into obscurity, succumbed Europeans’ access to disseminated information. The to a mental illness or an early death, or entered into advent of the printing press and a citizenry inch- a career deemed below their mental capacity. These ing toward higher literacy rates provided the young very public displays of mental prowess caused specu- Heineken, along with his parents and tutor, an lation about children’s mental health and the source opportunity to display his prowess. With widespread and longevity of their ability, resulting in myths exposure came widespread clamor—the boy’s fame and misunderstandings about prodigious youth. quickly spread across Europe. Multitudes gathered to This mythology existed long before the formal field gawk at the boy’s incredible abilities. He even once of gifted education was established and provided entertained the King of Denmark during a royal visit. Ta foundation for many of the first research studies Although Heineken’s mental feats had enraptured all undertaken by researchers such as Lewis Terman, of Europe, his legacy would be established during Guy Whipple, and Leta Hollingworth. his only 4 years and 4 months of life. Unfortunately, the modernizing world that created the context for Early Examples his fame could not save his life. Thought to have suffered from an undiagnosed disorder, Heineken Christian Heinrich Heineken passed away, leaving his tutor to proclaim him “a wonder for all time” (Whipple, 1924, p. 3). One of the first widely published accounts of As little is known about his life, Heineken leaves a child prodigy was that of Christian Heinrich many questions unanswered regarding the totality Heineken, a profoundly gifted child born in Lubeck, and nature of his intellect, as well as the rigor of his Germany, in 1721. By the age of 10 months, education and its relationship to his superior abili- Heineken had impressed his parents with his keen ties. Whipple (1924) asked an invariably important sense of observation and speech, leading them to question, applicable not only to Heineken’s case, but enlist a tutor to aid in his educational development. also to all prodigious children, “Is there danger of While still a baby, he learned to recite from memory ‘forcing’ his mental development at the expense of his several Biblical stories, establishing a foundation for physical or social development?” (p. 3). That is to ask, his eventual wide knowledge of world history, arith- were his parents and tutor sensitive to and mindful metic, and anatomy. According to his tutor, at the of the effects that this newfound fame would have age of 4, Heineken could recite 1,500 Latin proverbs on such a young child, regardless of his status as a and speak colloquially in French, a nice addition to wunderkind? Also, might they have been too instru- gifted child today 61 The Public’s Fascination With Prodigious Youth mental in his finding fame? Because of bility of its ending in this result; same way James Mill had trained his the limited information available, these and I saw no use in giving him own son. Before his second birthday, questions may never be fully answered the pain of thinking that his plans Sidis was educated to hone his skills to satisfaction. Facets of Heineken’s had failed, when the failure was of observation and reasoning (Bruce, case, though, seem to be replicated in probably irremediable, and, at all 1910). By the age of 3, he could spell similar scenarios. events, beyond the power of his and read, and would be able to write remedies. Of other friends, I had and type by his fourth birthday. His John Stuart Mill at that time none to whom I had capacities were not limited to a singular any hope of making my condi- domain: He took interest in languages, John Stuart Mill, renowned English tion intelligible. It was, however, and could read Russian, French, and philosopher and political theorist, was abundantly intelligible to myself; German by age 5; he could also, as admittedly the product of a strict and and the more I dwelt upon it, his father proclaimed, pass a medi- rigorous education undertaken by the more hopeless it appeared. cal student examination based upon his father. Rigid homeschooling had (“Autobiography,” n.d., para. 58) his extensive knowledge of anatomy been a popular practice in Victorian (Wheeler, 1910). Having passed all England, and Mill’s father, a man of His depression would eventually seven grades of the public school in erudition and an historical scholar, recede, as he learned to find content- 6 months, Sidis was kept at home for sought to extend the application to edness in the smaller pleasures in life. schooling for 2 years, during which his son. By age 3, he was studying Mill’s father had not intended to rear his father strove to arouse and main- ancient Greek; by age 8, he had read an exceptional offspring for the pur- tain the boy’s curiosity and proclivity the histories of Herodotus, Xenophon’s pose of fame. The fact that his father’s for mathematics. Besides a 3-month Cyropaedia, and several of the dialogues purposes were not exploitive (although stint in high school, all of William’s of Plato, in Greek (Quart, 2006). His perhaps misguided) may explain Mill’s schooling occurred at home, allowing strict regimen demanded that he be prolific output later in life, achieving him to achieve more incredible feats, isolated from his peers, leaving Mill prominence as a thinker in the fields including the creation of a new table of clueless to the notion that he was of philosophy, political theory, and logarithms and an intense knowledge not only unique, but also profoundly economics. His life remains a rich of algebra, trigonometry, geometry, gifted. and valuable source of study for those and calculus. The media also had taken The brand of education that James concerned with the education of child notice, evidenced by newspaper and Mill had subjected upon his son, prodigies, particularly the pitfalls of magazine articles detailing the young though, gave no attention to the areas neglecting basic social and environ- prodigy’s experience (Montour, 1977). of social or emotional need, leaving mental needs of the gifted, both of His father, clearly aware of the school the younger Mill with both a sense which have been well-established as system’s inability to effectively educate of misdirection and an undesirable important factors in a child’s health his son, attempted to enroll William requisite to live up to his father’s and happiness. A similar, yet more at Harvard College at age 9, although astronomical expectations. He would unfortunate, tale from the last century he was not admitted until age 11 after later recall that his father, “in all his lies in the case of William James Sidis. a series of denied applications. While teaching, demanded of me not only at Harvard, Sidis’ propensity for math- the utmost that I could do, but much William James Sidis ematics and science flourished, culmi- that I could by no possibility have nating in his paper on and presentation done” (“Autobiography,” n.d., para. Montour (1977) described in detail of his original theories entitled “Four- 4). By his 20s, Mill would fall into a William Sidis’ upbringing. Born in Dimensional Bodies.” With greater deep depression, a result of finding no 1898, Sidis was the child of Russian success came greater fame, as magazine purposeful end to his means, and no immigrants. His father, Boris, had and newspaper articles soon made Sidis avenues of application for his wealth achieved an education at Harvard, a fixture in the public consciousness. of knowledge and intellect. He recalls: forming the basis of his eventual career Attached to that fixture always was the in medical psychology. The elder Sidis, presence of the boy’s father, seemingly My education, which was wholly dissatisfied with the inadequacies of the ever ready to explain his son’s phenom- his work, had been conducted American public school system, sought enal success. Bruce (1910) noted the without any regard to the possi- to rear William James in much the elder Sidis’ declaration that William’s 62 spring 2010 • vol 32, no 2 The Public’s Fascination With Prodigious Youth mental development was not the result libel suits against the latter publica- The Quiz Kids radio program “of heredity, not of exceptional native tion, also claiming a violation of pri- debuted on June 28, 1940, and at talent, but of a special education he vacy (Montour, 1977). Sidis’ parenting the height of its popularity had 10 has received, an education having as its was both negligent and unmindful to million listeners. It was a staple of chief purpose the training of the child the sensitivities of his gifted son. American popular culture, spawn- to make facile, habitual, and profitable ing a cottage industry of Quiz Kids use of his hidden energies” (p. 692). Tiny Intelligentsia paper dolls, lunch boxes, dictionaries, Because there was a steadily rising focus and even a magazine. Some teachers upon child prodigies in the news, there The specific needs of the gifted assigned listening to the Quiz Kids was always ample opportunity for Dr. had not even been fully conceived or as homework on its broadcast night, Boris Sidis to showcase the exceptional set forth by Lewis Terman and Leta Wednesdays (Bolding, 1941).