William James Sidis, considered the smartest person in the world, could read the The New York Times before he was two years old. By the age of six, he was speaking multiple languages. At nine, he was accepted into Harvard, but the university allowed him to attend classes only when he turned 11.

Wikimedia Commons Known as the smartest person in the world, William James Sidis died at the age of 46 after leading a reclusive life working in humble jobs for years.

However, despite his extraordinary intelligence, William James Sidis struggled to fit into a world that did not understand him. This is the tragic story of how “the smartest person in the world” died poor and alone.

William James Sidis: An Unmatched Child Prodigy

William James Sidis was born on April 1, 1898, in Boston, Massachusetts, as “the smartest person in the world.”

Ukrainian immigrants Boris and Sarah Sidis were a highly intelligent couple. Boris was a famous psychologist, while Sarah was a doctor.

William James Sidis’s parents loved their talented son dearly and spent large sums on books and maps to encourage his early education. However, they had no idea how early their precious child would develop.

Sidis ArchivesWilliam James Sidis was widely recognized as the smartest person in the world, but his story ended in tragedy.

William James Sidis could read the The New York Times at just 18 months old.

By the age of six, he could speak multiple languages, including English, French, German, Russian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Armenian.

In addition to being so impressive, William James Sidis invented his own language as a child (though it is unclear whether he used it as an adult). The ambitious young man wrote poems, a novel, and even a constitution for a potential utopia.

Wikimedia CommonsBoris Sidis, William’s father, was multilingual and wanted his son to be as well.

William James Sidis was accepted into Harvard University at the age of nine. However, the school did not allow him to attend classes until he turned 11.

In 1910, while still a student, he taught a highly complex subject on four-dimensional objects in the Harvard Mathematical Club. This lecture was nearly incomprehensible to most people, but for those who understood, it was enlightening.

William James Sidis graduated from the legendary university in 1914. He was only 16 years old.

William James Sidis's Unique IQ

Wikimedia Commons The town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Harvard University is located, in the 1910s.

Over the years, much speculation has surrounded William James Sidis's IQ. Any records of his IQ test have been lost over time, so contemporary historians have had to make estimates.

For comparison, an IQ score of 100 is considered average, while a score below 70 is generally seen as inadequate. Anything above 130 is regarded as gifted or very advanced.

Some historical IQs have been analyzed, such as Albert Einstein's at 160, Leonardo da Vinci's at 180, and Isaac Newton's at 190.

For William James Sidis, the estimated IQ as “the smartest person in the world” is thought to be between 250 and 300. If this is true, it could make him the person with the highest IQ ever to have lived.

Sidis ArchivesWilliam James Sidis was a child prodigy accepted into Harvard at just 11 years old - but life did not go as expected for the smartest man in the world.

Everyone with a high IQ would be happy to tell you that it does not mean much. Still, Sidis scored so high that his IQ was equivalent to the sum of three average people.

However, despite his intelligence, he struggled to fit into a world that did not understand him.

After graduating from Harvard at the age of 16, William James Sidis told reporters, “I want to live a perfect life. The only way to live a perfect life is to live it in seclusion. I have always hated crowds.”

For a short time, he taught mathematics at Rice Institute in Houston, Texas. However, he was nearly forced to leave because he was younger than most of his students.

“The Smartest Person in the World” Spends His Last Years in Seclusion

Sidis ArchivesWilliam James Sidis spent most of his last years in seclusion.

William James Sidis briefly made headlines when he was arrested during the Boston May Day Socialist Parade in 1919. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for rebellion and assaulting a police officer, although he neither rebelled nor assaulted anyone.

Nevertheless, Sidis was determined to lead a quiet life after this brief encounter with the law. He worked in a series of unskilled jobs, such as low-level accounting positions. However, he would quit as soon as he was recognized or his colleagues learned who he was.

“The appearance of a mathematical formula makes me physically ill,” he later complained. “All I want is to run a calculator, but they won’t leave me alone.”

In 1937, William James Sidis drew attention one last time when a satirical article about him was published in The New Yorker. He decided to file a lawsuit for invasion of privacy and malicious defamation, but the judge dismissed the case.

The judge, who became a classic example in privacy law, ruled that when a person is a public figure, they will always remain a public figure. This was the case for “the smartest person in the world.”

After losing his appeal, Sidis, who had once become an idol, did not live much longer. On July 17, 1944, at the age of 46, he died of a brain hemorrhage.

Found by his landlady, “the smartest person in the world” left this world as a poor, reclusive office clerk.