People have been wondering what talent is for a long time. Some view it as a gift from God, while others see giftedness as the result of hard work and self-improvement. Is it possible to develop certain abilities and what determines whether a person has a gift?

Talent - what is it?

Talent refers to something that is inherent in an individual from birth. They develop with experience and, when directed in the right direction, form a skill. This term comes from the New Testament and means a gift from God, the ability to create something new and unique. Simply put, it is a person’s ability to do something better than others. When and how does talent manifest itself?

1. A person can be gifted from birth and show his uniqueness from childhood ( shining example- Mozart).
2. An individual can express himself in adulthood, like Van Gogh or Gauguin.

Talent in psychology

Human talents are considered in psychology as a set of abilities. What talent is, the politician Carlo Dossi very succinctly described back in the 19th century, it is in equal parts:

• instinct;
• memory;
• will.

However, scientists assure that such an isolated ability is not a talent, even if it is pronounced. This is proven by examinations of people with phenomenal memory conducted in the first half of the twentieth century by a Moscow group of psychologists. The outstanding mnemonic abilities of the subjects were not used in any areas of activity. Memory is only one of the factors of success, but to no less extent the development of talent depends on imagination, will, interests, etc.

Are all people talented?

There is ongoing debate among scientists and critics about what talent is and whether it is inherent in all individuals. Here opinions are divided into diametrically opposed ones:

1. Everyone has talent, because every individual is good in a certain field. You can use your own specific methods extraordinary abilities and develop them through exercises.
2. Genius is the destiny of the chosen few, a divine spark that arises rarely and completely unpredictably.
3. Any talent requires hard work and daily exercise. A person’s abilities are revealed over time and come with experience.

Signs of a talented person

There are several signs of a person who has a gift:

1. Creative people have a lot of energy in their field of interest and can be obsessed with an idea for days on end.
2. Gifted individuals are both introverts and extroverts.
3. The uniqueness of talented people is manifested in the fact that they are modest and at the same time.
4. For the sake of what they love, such individuals are ready to sacrifice their career.
5. Extraordinary individuals are not always gifted in all areas, but often in just one. Talent and genius should not be confused, because in the second case the person is considered gifted in all areas. In other words, genius represents the highest level of creative manifestations of personality.

What types of talents are there?

Scientists stand out certain types talents depending on types of intelligence:

• linguistic (possessed by linguists, journalists, writers and lawyers);
• logical-mathematical (mathematicians, scientists);
• musical (musicians, composers, linguists);
• spatial (architects, designers, artists);
• bodily-kinesthetic (dancers, athletes);
• interpersonal (politicians, actors, directors, traders);
• emotional, or intrapersonal (inherent in all professions, this is what a person says about himself);
• There is also a hidden talent that an individual does not subconsciously or consciously develop, sometimes due to a lack of self-confidence, sometimes due to fear of leaving the comfort zone.

How to become talented?

Millions of minds are struggling to figure out how to recognize their talent. Disclosure outstanding abilities involves identifying their abilities, accumulating experience and making full use of them. The stages of revealing unique talents are as follows:

1. Before finding his talent, a person feels certain inclinations towards a certain area: he is interested in news related to this area, accumulates knowledge, and collects material.
2. The stage of deeper immersion in the topic, attempts to copy other people's work.
3. Attempts to create something unique, inimitable. If on at this stage original works or previously unexpressed ideas are born, which means talent has been born.
4. Full use of identified abilities.

How to raise a talented child?

A child's potential innate talent depends on his parents. When adults try to view their offspring as extensions of themselves, they demand too much and give too intense instructions. Then the child does not develop and form his needs, but only satisfies the unfulfilled dreams and unfulfilled desires of his mother and father. Therefore, in order to raise a gifted child, you need to listen to what interests him. The identified personal predisposition of the baby should be developed.

The most talented nation in the world

In trying to determine which country's representative is the most talented, people have had a lot of debate, primarily because it is difficult to determine what criterion of uniqueness can be taken as a basis. If high intelligence take main criterion talent, then judging by the Nobel Prize laureates, the most extraordinary people in the world live in the following countries:

1. USA – more than a third of the laureates live in this country.
2. Great Britain – every year British scientists win championships in some field.
3. Germany - the German machine is trying to be the first in everything, including in the field of discoveries.
4. France – in the field of art, literature, painting, this state has no equal.
5. Sweden – the birthplace of Alfred Nobel closes the top five.

Top talented people in the world

It is difficult to say who the most talented people in the world are, since there are many types of talent. However, you can make a list of outstanding charismatic personalities who have made a huge contribution to the development of humanity:

Films about talented people

Gifted individuals have always been of interest to society, so there are many films about geniuses, great scientists, doctors, composers, writers, whose uniqueness could not go unnoticed. Films about talents and extraordinary personalities inspire and inspire a thirst for activity. These films can be divided into two subgroups.

Films that describe real or existing talented people of the world:

• "Pianist" Romana Polanski (2002), describing the life of Wladyslaw Szpilman;
• "Pirates of Silicon Valley" Martin Burke (2009) about the conquest of the world by Bill Gates and Steve Jobs;
• "Jobs: Empire of temptation" Joshua Michael Stern (2013);
• "Stephen Hawking's Universe" Jayma Marsha (2015).

Fictional feature films that explore to one degree or another what talent is:

• "Mind games" Ron Howard (2001);
• "Good Will Hunting" Gus Van Sant (1997);
• "Perfumer" Tom Tykwer (2006);
• "The Thomas Crown Affair" John McTiernan (1999).

Books about talented people

There is a vast body of literature, both fiction and biographical, about child prodigies and outstanding personalities who through hard work have achieved recognition and fame:

1. Ivan Medvedev. "Peter I: the good or evil genius of Russia": fascinating and impartial about who the talented person really was.
2. Georg Brandes. "The genius of Shakespeare. King of Tragedy": dedicated to the 450th anniversary of the writer detailed description his life path and creativity.
3. Irving Stone. "Lust for Life": the most famous chronicle of the life of Vincent Van Gogh, his thorny, difficult path to recognition.
4. Cesare Lambroso. "Genius and Madness": an original view of an Italian psychiatrist on the nature of genius.
5. Kir Bulychev. "Genius and Villainy": a fantastic story about an attempt to take over the world using soul teleportation.
6. Dina Rubina. "Leonardo's Handwriting": A story about an incredibly gifted woman who rejects a gift from heaven and just wants to be ordinary.

Works that mention extraordinary personalities help people who have not yet developed their abilities to find themselves, raise self-esteem, get out of their comfort zone, find an idea that would capture the mind and actions and learn better world history. It is useful to get acquainted with some of the works presented. Even for the purposes of general development.

Saturday, September 30, 2017 18:53 + to quote book

One hundred living geniuses- a list compiled by the consulting company Creators Synectics and published by the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph on October 28, 2007.

The initial basis of the list was compiled through a survey: according to e-mail 4,000 Britons were asked to name 10 contemporaries they consider geniuses, whose merits turned out to be the most valuable for humanity. Around 600 responses were received, naming around 1,100 people (of which two thirds were from the UK and US).

The firm emailed 4,000 Britons, asking each to name up to 10 living candidates for the title of genius. As a result, 1100 names were obtained. The commission then compiled a list out of 100 people, who were assessed by five parameters - contribution to changing the system of beliefs, social recognition, intellectual power, value of scientific achievements and cultural significance. As a result, Albert Hofmann and Tim Berners-Lee, who shared first place, received 27 points out of a possible 50.

"Saint Hofmann" - painting by Alex Gray

Almost quarter included in the list" 100 living geniuses"made up British. Per share Americans have to 43 places on the list. Which is not surprising, since they were not interviewing Chinese or Russians.
Nevertheless, three Russians also found a place on the list. These are Perelman, Kasparov and Kalashnikov. One even managed to get into the top ten.

100 most brilliant people modernity
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/One hundred_living_geniuses

So here is this List. Top 10 first!

1-2.Tim Berners-Lee, Great Britain. Computer Scientist


An Oxford graduate and computer scientist, he is the author of the HTTP protocol and the HTML language.
In 1989 Berners-Lee offered a global hypertext project that laid the foundation for the creation of the World Wide Web, the Internet!

3. George Soros, USA. Investor and philanthropist
An outstanding financier and speculator, whose enormous resources allowed him to organize a number of attacks on the national currencies of Great Britain and Asian countries.


IN Lately retired from business and is actively involved in charitable activities through the organization " Open Society" and charities in 25 countries.

4.Matt Groening, USA. Satirist and cartoonist
Author and producer, became famous thanks to the satirical animated series “The Simpsons” and “Futurama”.


The Simpson family and the fictional town of Springfield first appeared on television in 1987. Since then, the popularity of the series has not waned, and in 2007 a full-length version of the cartoon was released on movie screens.

5-6. Nelson Mandela, South Africa. Politician and diplomat


Human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 1993, long time fought at the head of the African National Congress against apartheid in South Africa, spent 28 years in prison. From 1994 to 1999 he served as president of the country. Currently actively supports the fight against AIDS.

Frederick Sanger, Great Britain. Chemist
Graduate of Cambridge University, biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate.

He is known for his work on insulin, which made it possible to obtain it synthetically, and for his research in the field of DNA.

Dario Fo, Italy. Writer and playwright


Theater figure, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. In his work he combined propaganda satire with the traditions of medieval theater. Author of the works "Mystery Bouffe" (1969), "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" (1970), "Knock Knock! Who's There? Police" (1974), "If you can't pay, don't pay" (1981).

Stephen Hawking, Great Britain. Physicist
One of the most famous theoretical physicists of our time, a specialist in cosmology and quantum gravity.


Being practically paralyzed, Hawking continues to engage in scientific and popularization activities. Bestselling author " Short story time".

Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil. Architect
One of the founders of the modern Brazilian school of architecture, a pioneer of reinforced concrete construction.


Since 1957, he carried out the construction of the new capital of the country - the city of Brazil, and participated in the design of the UN headquarters in New York.

Philip Glass, USA. Composer


Minimalist composer, performer. He became known to the general public after creating the soundtrack for Godfrey Reggio's film "Koyaniskazzi". He also wrote music for the films “The Truman Show”, “The Illusionist”, “The Hours”, and music for the opening of the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Grigory Perelman, Russia. Mathematician


Scientist from St. Petersburg proved the Poincaré conjecture, formulated back in 1904. Its discovery was recognized as the most significant scientific achievement of 2006. Despite this, the reclusive Russian refused the million-dollar prize and the highest award in the mathematical world - Fields's awards.
…………
And the rest of the geniuses:

12-14. Andrew Wiles (mathematician, UK) - proved Fermat's Last Theorem - 20
12-14. Li Hongzhi (spiritual leader, China) - Created the religious organization "Falun Gong" - a mixture of Buddhism and Taoism with elements of qigong health gymnastics.
12-14. Ali Javan (engineer, Iran) - Engineer, one of the creators of the world's first gas laser using a mixture of helium and neon.

15-17. Brian Eno (composer, UK) -19 Invented ambient - a musical genre with elements of jazz, new age, electronic music, rock, reggae, ethnic music and noise. 19
15-17. Damien Hirst (artist, UK) - One of the most expensive painters of our time. Death is a central theme in his works. Most famous series— Natural History: dead animals in formaldehyde.
15-17. Daniel Tammet (savant and linguist, UK) - Encyclopedist and linguist works with numbers faster than a computer. You can learn any foreign language in a few hours.

18. Nicholson Baker (writer, USA) - A novelist whose writing focuses on the narrator's flow of thought.
19. Daniel Barenboim (musician, Israel) - 17 Pianist and conductor. He has received many awards, including for various recordings.
20-24. Robert Crumb (writer and artist, USA) - 16 Greeting card artist, music connoisseur. He gained worldwide fame for his underground comics.
20-24. Richard Dawkins (biologist and philosopher, UK) - 16 Leading evolutionary biologist. The terms that first appeared in his books became widespread.
20-24. Sergey Brin and Larry Page (founders of Google, USA) - 16
20-24. Rupert Murdoch (publisher and media tycoon, USA) - 16 Founder and head of News Corporation. Under his control are media, film companies and book publishing houses in the USA, Great Britain, Australia and other countries.
20-24. Geoffrey Hill (poet, UK) - 16 Poet, translator. He became famous for his unusual “corporate” style - the language of advertising, mass media and political “rhetoric”.

25. Garry Kasparov (chess player, Russia) - 15
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is considered one of the strongest chess players of all time.


At 22, he became the youngest world champion in history and defended the title several times. In 2005, the grandmaster announced the end of his sports career and became involved in social and political activities. Currently he heads the United Civil Front organization and criticizes the current Russian government and president.
………………
26-30. Dalai Lama (spiritual leader, Tibet) – 14
A spiritual leader who, according to legend, is the reincarnation of the endless suffering of all Buddhas. Combines the title of king and head of Tibetan Buddhism.

26-30. Steven Spielberg (film director, screenwriter and producer, USA) - 14
Director, producer, screenwriter. At the age of 12, he won an amateur film competition, presenting a 40-minute film about the war, “Escape to Nowhere” (1960).

26-30. Hiroshi Ishiguro (robotician, Japan) – 14
Roboticist. Created a robot guide for the blind. In 2004 presented the most perfect android, similar to a person. Known as one of the creators of the Aktroid, Geminoid, Kodomoroid, Telenoid series of robots.

One of the versions of these robots completely replicates the appearance of the creator himself and replaces him during lectures.

26-30. Robert Edwards (physiologist, UK) – 14
Robert Edwards (Great Britain). In 1977, he was the first in the world to carry out fertilization of human germ cells outside the body and transfer the resulting embryo to the future mother. Louise Brown was born 9 months later
26-30. Seamus Heaney (poet, Ireland) - 14
Each of the poet's books became a bestseller. In 1995 received Nobel Prize on literature

31. Harold Pinter (writer and playwright, UK) - 13
In his performances, the actors use colloquial vocabulary and play tramps and hard workers.
32-39. Flossie Wong-Staal (biotechnologist, China) - 12
Biologist-virologist. She became the first researcher to decipher the structure of the immune deficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS.

32-39. Robert Fischer (chess player, USA) - 12


Bobby Fischer, at age 14, became the youngest US chess champion in the country's history.
…………..
32-39. Prince (singer, USA) - 12 The Western press called the singer the most unsinkable musician in history. For more than 20 years, his songs have enjoyed constant popularity.
32-39. Henryk Górecki (composer, Poland) - 12 Known for his unique style of music, which critics call vitally explosive.
32-39. Noam Chomsky (philosopher and linguist, USA) - 12 Philologist and linguist. His father was a Jew of Ukrainian descent.
32-39. Sebastian Thrun (robotician, Germany) - 12 Created unmanned vehicles that reached speeds of up to 60 km/h.

32-39. Nima Arkani-Hamed (physicist, Canada) - 12th Physicist. He states that our three-dimensional island universe floats within fourth dimension, commensurate with the macrocosm
32-39. Margaret Turnbull (astrobiologist, USA) - 12
Studies the principles of the birth of stars, galaxies and universes.
40-42. Elaine Pagels (historian, USA) - 11 Historian - author of books exploring alternative scriptures rejected by the church. The most famous is the Gnostic Gospels.
40-42. Enrique Ostrea (doctor, Philippines) - 11 Pediatrician and neonatologist. Known for many studies, in particular how drugs and alcohol affect the baby in the womb.
40-42. Gary Becker (economist, USA) - 11
Economist. Advocates investment in human capital
…………………
43-48. Muhammad Ali (boxer, USA) - 10
One of the most famous boxers in the history of the sport. I came up with the tactical scheme “Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.”

43-48. Osama bin Laden (Islamist, Saudi Arabia) - 10 Leader of the Islamic terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. Terrorist #1 in the world. The reward on his head exceeded $50 million.

43-48. Bill Gates (creator of Microsoft Corporation, USA) - 10 Richest person on Earth.

43-48. Philip Roth (writer, USA) - 10 Received the most prestigious awards in America, including the Pulitzer. His novel The Plot Against America became a bestseller.
43-48. James West (physicist, USA) - 10 Inventor of the electret condenser microphone, which does not require a voltage source.
43-48. Vo Dinh Tuan (biologist and physician, Vietnam) - 10 Invented several diagnostic devices (in particular, an optical scanner) capable of detecting DNA damage.
…………..
49-57. Brian Wilson (musician, USA) - 9
The genius of rock music. He led the Beach Boys until he became addicted to drugs. But he managed to overcome his addiction.
49-57. Stevie Wonder (singer and composer, USA) - 9 Singer and songwriter, blind from birth. At the age of 10 he signed his first music contract, and at 12 he released his debut album.
49-57. Vinton Cerf (Internet protocol developer, USA) - 9 Computer scientist. One of the “fathers” of the Internet.

49-57. Henry Kissinger (diplomat and politician, USA) - 9 Winner of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for his unquestioned authority in the field of international relations.

49-57. Richard Branson (businessman, UK) - 9 Billionaire, founder of the Virgin corporation. Known for his repeated attempts to break world speed records.
49-57. Pardis Sabeti (geneticist, anthropologist, Iran) - 9 Received a degree in biology with a PhD in anthropology at Oxford. Specializes in genetics.
49-57. John de Mol (media magnate, Netherlands) - 9 Producer, TV magnate. He came up with the idea of ​​​​creating the most popular reality show “Big Brother”.
……………………
49-57. Meryl Streep (actress, USA) - 9


Hollywood calls her the best actress of her generation. She was nominated for an Oscar 12 times and received two gold statuettes.

49-57. Margaret Atwood (writer, Canada) - 9 Invented electronic device LongPen, which allows her to sign copies of her books from the comfort of her home.
58-66. Placido Domingo ( Opera singer, Spain) - 8 World famous opera tenor. He is fluent in conducting and piano.
58-66. John Lasseter (animator, USA) is the creative leader of Pixar studio. He is called a solitary artist, and his style is compared to the late Walt Disney.
58-66. Shunpei Yamazaki (computer monitor developer, Japan) - 8 Computer scientist and physicist. The most prolific inventor in history- owner of more 1700 patents!

58-66. Jane Goodall (anthropologist, UK) - 8 Ethologist, primatologist and anthropologist. After living with mountain gorillas for several years, she became the founder of an original method for studying the life of chimpanzees.
58-66. Kirti Narayan Chowdhury (historian, India) - 8 Historian, writer and graphic artist. He is the only historian from South Asia to be accepted into the British Academy.
58-66. John Goto (photographer, UK) - 8 Photographer. He was the first to use Photoshop to process his photographs.
………………..
58-66. Paul McCartney (musician, UK) – 8

Rock musician, singer and composer, one of the founders The group Beatles. Wrote the most commercially successful single Hey Jude and the hit Yesterday.

58-66. Stephen King (writer, USA) - 8 Writer, works in the genres: horror, thriller, fantasy, mysticism. The universally recognized “king of horror.”

58-66. Leonard Cohen (poet and musician, Canada) - 8 Patriarch of folk rock. He published several novels and poetry collections, earning a strong literary name
67-71. Aretha Franklin (singer, USA) - 7 Black singer. She is called the "Queen of Soul". She has released two dozen records and received two Grammy awards.
67-71. David Bowie (musician, UK) - 7 Rock musician, producer, audio engineer, composer, artist, actor. Became famous in the 1970s with the advent of glam rock.
67-71. Emily Oster (economist, USA) - 7 Became the first researcher to compare data on the persecution of witches with weather conditions in the 16th and 17th centuries.

67-71. Stephen Wozniak (computer developer, co-founder of Apple, USA) - 7


Considered one of the fathers of the personal computer revolution.

67-71. Martin Cooper (engineer, inventor of the cell phone, USA) - 7

In 1973, the first call was made from the streets of New York.
But mobile phones only became truly widespread in 1990 year.

72-82. George Lucas (director, USA) - 6 Filmed the television epic " star Wars" Fans around the world still live by the principles underlying the fictional Jedi philosophy.
72-82. Nile Rodgers (musician, USA) - 6 Elite studio musician. This black guitarist, composer and producer is considered a master of disco-pop.
72-82. Hans Zimmer (composer, Germany) - 6 Known for his music for many films, for example, Rain Man. He was the first to use a combination of orchestral and electronic music.

72-82. John Williams (composer, USA) - 6 Five-time Oscar winner. He wrote music for the films “Jaws”, Superman”, “Jurassic Park”, “Star Wars”, “Harry Potter” and others.
72-82. Annette Beyer (philosopher, New Zealand) - 6 Made significant contributions to the development of feminist philosophy.
72-82. Dorothy Rowe (psychologist, Australia) - 6 Gives an explanation of depression and shows how to get out of this condition: “Take your life into your own hands!”
……………………..
72-82. Ivan Marchuk (artist, sculptor, Ukraine) - 6 Created a unique style of painting - weaving.

72-82. Robin Escovado (composer, USA) - 6 Supporter of the French school. In recent decades, he wrote music exclusively for the choir chapel.
72-82. Mark Dean (computer developer, USA) - 6 Invented a device that made it possible to control a modem and a printer at the same time.
72-82. Rick Rubin (musician and producer, USA) - 6 Co-owner of Columbia Records. MTV named him the most powerful producer of the last 20 years.
72-82. Stan Lee (writer, publisher, USA) - 6 Publisher and lead writer of Marvel Comics magazine. Laid the beginning of the X-Men comic book series.

83-90. David Warren (engineer, Australia) - 5 Created the world's first emergency operational flight information recorder, the so-called black box for aircraft.
83-90. Jun Fosse (writer, playwright, Norway) - 5 He became famous after writing the play “And We Will Never Separate.”
83-90. Gertrude Schnakenberg (poetess, USA) - 5 Representative of the feminist movement in modern poetry. Writes about universal human values.

83-90. Graham Linehan (writer, playwright, Ireland) - 5 Wrote scripts for many television comedies. Known as the screenwriter of the TV series Father Ted.
83-90. JK Rowling (writer, UK) - 5 Children's writer, author of the Harry Potter novels. They brought her worldwide fame and a fortune of $1 billion.

What is history? First of all, it is time, place and, of course, people. Moreover, it was not ordinary and far from simple people who decided destinies and created our history, but the most brilliant, greatest, most talented people in the world! Who are they? You can list names and talk about their talents for hours, days, probably even months, there have been so many of them throughout the entire history. However, today I would like to dwell on the ten most famous, probably the most famous, those whose names are most often heard on the lips of contemporaries, regardless of their nationality, religion and level of education.

So, the most talented people on the planet...

William Shakespeare is the greatest playwright of the Renaissance. His multifaceted and profound plays have been translated into all major languages ​​of the world and to this day are included in the repertoires of all world theaters more often than the works of any other authors.

Michelangelo is a brilliant Italian architect and sculptor, painter and poet, artist and thinker, the greatest figure and creator of the Renaissance. During his lifetime he achieved true perfection in his works, however, when he died, he still regretted that he was leaving, having only just learned to read his profession syllable by syllable.

But aren’t the most talented people in the world the architects who created such a wonder of the world as Egyptian pyramids? Their complex mathematical and engineering calculations, on the basis of which the pyramids were erected, are simply amazing, especially considering that construction was not their main occupation. Talented people, as you know, are talented in everything.

The creations of the great ancient Greek sculptor and architect Phidias are harmonious, grandiose and majestic. It is he who owns Olympia, which was later named one of the wonders of the world.

Albert Einstein - this name is often mentioned when talking about very smart and gifted people. The great theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize winner is the author of more than three hundred scientific works, as well as one and a half hundred books on philosophy, history and journalism.

The list can be continued for a long time: Nostradamus, Socrates, Freud, Nietzsche, Lomonosov, Jesus Christ, Homer, Copernicus, Beethoven. All of these truly the most talented people in the world have made an invaluable contribution to the history of the development of society, to the versatility and richness of the modern world.

In Russian history there were many smart people. Brilliant mathematicians, chemists, physicists, geologists, philosophers - they made a contribution to both Russian and world science.

1 Mikhail Lomonosov

The first Russian natural scientist of world significance, encyclopedist, chemist, physicist, astronomer, instrument maker, geographer, metallurgist, geologist, poet, artist, historian. A man under two meters, possessing enormous strength, not shy about using it, and ready to punch him in the eye - if justice demanded it. Mikhail Lomonosov is practically a superman.

2 Dmitry Mendeleev

Russian Da Vinci, the brilliant father of the periodic table of elements, Mendeleev was a versatile scientist and public figure. Thus, he made a significant and invaluable contribution to oil activities.

Mendeleev said: “Oil is not fuel! You can also drown with banknotes!” At his instigation, the barbaric four-year buyout of oil fields was abolished. Then Mendeleev proposed transporting oil through pipes and developed oils based on oil refining waste, which were several times cheaper than kerosene. Thus, Russia was able not only to refuse to export kerosene from America, but also to import petroleum products to Europe.

Mendeleev was nominated for the Nobel Prize three times, but he never received it. Which is not surprising.

3 Nikolai Lobachevsky

A six-time rector of Kazan University, a professor, the first textbooks he published were condemned for using and promoting the metric system of measures. Lobachevsky refuted Euclid's fifth postulate, calling the axiom of parallelism an “arbitrary restriction.”

Lobachevsky developed completely new trigonometry of non-Euclidean space and differential geometry with the calculation of lengths, volumes, and areas.

Recognition came to the scientist after his death; his ideas were continued in the works of such mathematicians as Klein, Beltrami and Poincaré. The realization that Lobachevsky's geometry is not an antagonism, but an alternative to Euclid's geometry gave impetus to new powerful discoveries and research in mathematics and physics.

4 Sofya Kovalevskaya

“Professor Sonya” is the first woman professor in the world and the first woman in Russia to be a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Kovalevskaya was not only a brilliant mathematician and mechanic, but also distinguished herself in the literary field. Kovalevskaya’s path in science was not easy, which was associated, first of all, with gender prejudices.

5 Vladimir Vernadsky

Famous mineralogist, researcher earth's crust, the “father” of the Soviet nuclear program. Vernadsky was one of the first people who paid attention to eugenics; he studied geology, biochemistry, geochemistry, and meteorology. and many others. But, perhaps, his main contribution is the description of the laws of the Earth's biosphere and the noosphere as its integral part. Here the scientific insight of the Russian scientist is simply unique.

6 Zhores Alferov

Today, everyone benefits from the discoveries of Zhores Alferov, the Russian Nobel Prize laureate in 2000. In all mobile phones There are heterostructure semiconductors created by Alferov. All fiber optic communications operate on its semiconductors and the Alferov laser.

Without the Alferov laser, CD players and disk drives of modern computers would not be possible. Zhores Ivanovich's discoveries are used in car headlights, traffic lights, and supermarket equipment - product label decoders. At the same time, Alferov made the scientist’s insights, which led to qualitative changes in the development of all electronic technology, back in 1962-1974.

7 Kirik Novgorodets

Kirik Novgorodian - mathematician, writer, chronicler and musician of the 12th century; author of the first Russian mathematical and astronomical treatise “The Doctrine of Numbers”; calculated the smallest perceptible period of time. Kirik was a deacon and domestic of the Anthony Monastery in Novgorod. He is also considered the alleged author of “Kirikov’s Questioning”.

8 Kliment Smolyatich

Kliment Smolyatich was one of the most prominent Russian medieval thinkers. Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus' (1147-1155), church writer, first Russian theologian, second metropolitan of Russian origin.
Smolyatich was considered the most highly educated person of his time. In the chronicle he is mentioned as such a “scribe and philosopher, the likes of which have never happened in the Russian land.”

9 Lev Landau

Lev Landau is a completely unique phenomenon. He was a child prodigy who did not lose his talent in adulthood. At the age of 13 he graduated from 10 classes, and at 14 he entered two faculties at once: chemistry and physics and mathematics.

For special merits, Landau was transferred from Baku University to Leningrad University. Landau received 3 State Prizes of the USSR, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor and was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Denmark, the Netherlands and the USA.

In 1962, the Royal Swedish Academy awarded Landau the Nobel Prize "for his fundamental theories of condensed matter, especially liquid helium."
For the first time in history, the award took place in a Moscow hospital, since shortly before the presentation, Landau was involved in a car accident.

10 Ivan Pavlov

A brilliant Russian scientist, Ivan Pavlov received his well-deserved Nobel Prize in 1904 “for his work on the physiology of digestion.” Pavlov is a unique scientist on a global scale, who managed to form his own school in the difficult conditions of a state under construction, to which the scientist made considerable claims. In addition, Pavlov collected paintings, plants, butterflies, stamps, and books. Scientific research led him to abandon meat food.

11 Andrey Kolmogorov

Andrei Kolmogorov was one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century, the founder of the great scientific school. Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of the Lenin and Stalin Prizes, member of many scientific academies all over the world, honorary doctorate from universities from Paris to Calcutta. Kolmogorov - author of the axioms of probability theory and many theorems, author of the equation, inequality, mean, space and complexity of Kolmogorov

12 Nikolai Danilevsky

A global thinker who laid the foundations for a civilizational approach to history. Without his works there would have been neither Spengler nor Toynbee. Nikolai Danilevsky saw “Europeanism,” looking at the world through “European glasses,” as one of the main diseases of Russia.

He believed that Russia had a special path, which should be rooted in Orthodox culture and monarchy, dreamed of creating an All-Slavic Union and was sure that Russia should under no circumstances follow the path of America.

13 Georgy Gamov

The father of the “hot Universe” theory, at the age of 24 Gamow performed Nobel-level work, developing the theory of alpha decay, and at 28 he became the youngest corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences in the entire history of its existence. He was also a half-speaker - he spoke six languages ​​fluently.

Gamow became one of the most bright stars in astrophysics and cosmology. He was the first to calculate models of stars with thermonuclear reactions, proposed a model of the shell of a red giant, and studied the role of neutrinos in outbursts of novae and supernovae.

In 1954, Gamow was the first to pose the problem of the genetic code. After Gamow's death, the Americans received the Nobel for deciphering it.

14 Sergey Averintsev

Sergei Averintsev, a student of Alexei Losev, was one of the most prominent philologists, cultural scholars, biblical scholars and translators of the twentieth century. He explored various layers of European, including Christian, culture - from antiquity to modernity.
Literary critic, philosopher and cultural critic Nikita Struve wrote about Averintsev: “A great scientist, biblical scholar, patrolologist, subtle literary critic, poet who revived the tradition of spiritual poetry, Averintsev stands before my eyes no less than a humble disciple and a bright witness of Christ. The rays of faith illuminated all his work.”

15 Mikhail Bakhtin

One of the few Russian thinkers and literary scholars canonized in the West. His books about the works of Dostoevsky and Rabelais “blew up” the literary establishment, his work “Towards the Philosophy of Action” became reference book intellectuals all over the world.

Bakhtin was brought from exile in Kazakhstan to Moscow in 1969 by Andropov. He also provided the “great lame man” with protection. Bakhtin was published and translated en masse. In England, at the University of Sheffield, there is the Bakhtin Center, leading scientific and academic work. Bakhtin's work gained particular popularity in France and Japan, where the world's first collected works were published, and big number monographs and works about him.

16 Vladimir Bekhterev

The great Russian psychiatrist and neuropathologist, Vladimir Bekhterev, was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times, treated drunkards en masse with hypnosis, studied parapsychology and crowd psychology, child psychology and telepathy. Bekhterev paved the way for the creation of so-called “brain atlases”. One of the creators of such atlases, the German professor Kopsch, said: “Only two people know perfectly the structure of the brain - God and Bekhterev.”

17 Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Tsiolkovsky was a genius. He made many of his discoveries intuitively. A theorist of cosmism, he worked a lot and fruitfully on applied things, on the creation of the theory of flight of jet aircraft, and invented his own gas turbine engine design. Tsiolkovsky’s merits were highly appreciated not only by domestic scientists, but also by the creator of the first rockets, Wernher Von Braun.
Tsiolkovsky was quirky. Thus, he defended eugenics, believed in the catastrophic structure of society and believed that criminals should be split into atoms.

Lev Vygotsky is an outstanding Russian psychologist, creator of cultural-historical theory. Vygotsky made a real revolution in defectology, gave hope for a full life to people with disabilities. When Western society got tired of “life according to Freud,” it switched to “life according to Vygodsky.”

After translating Vygotsky’s work “Thinking and Speech” into English and Japanese languages, the Russian psychologist has become a truly cult figure. Stephen Toulmin of the University of Chicago even titled his article on Vygotsky, published in the New York Review, “Mozart in Psychology.”

20 Peter Kropotkin

“Father of anarchism” and eternal rebel Peter Kropotkin, who on his deathbed refused the special ration offered by Lenin and special conditions treatment, was one of the most enlightened people of his time.

Kropotkin considered his main contribution to science to be his work on the study of Asian mountain ranges. For them he was awarded the Russian Gold Medal Geographical Society. Kropotkin also contributed a great treasure to the study of the Ice Age.

Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727). Artist G. Kneller. 1689

They say that the law universal gravity Isaac Newton discovered it in his garden. He watched a falling apple and realized that the Earth attracts all objects to itself, and the heavier the object, the more strongly it is attracted to the Earth. Reflecting on this, he deduced the law of universal gravitation: All bodies attract each other with a force proportional to both masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The brilliant English scientist, experimenter, researcher, also a mathematician, astronomer, inventor, made a lot of discoveries that determined the physical picture of the world around him.

In 1658, King Louis XIV himself, a fan of the arts, was present at the debut of Moliere’s troupe at the Louvre Palace. Before His Majesty they played a farce, a cheerful comedy, “The Doctor in Love.” The actors tried their best, the king laughed until he cried. The play affected him good impression. This decided the fate of the troupe - it was given the Petit-Bourbon court theater. After 3 years, Moliere, already a famous director, author of many comedies, together with his artists moved to another theater, the Palais Royal. Over 15 years of intensive work, Moliere wrote his best plays and became famous as an outstanding actor and reformer of the performing arts.

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At the best French Jesuit college in La Flèche in early XVII centuries, strict orders reigned. The disciples got up early and ran to prayer. Only one, the best pupil was allowed to stay in bed due to poor health - this was Rene Descartes. So he developed the habit of reasoning and finding solutions to mathematical problems. Later, according to legend, it was in these morning hours that he had a thought that spread throughout the world: “I think, therefore I exist.” Like the great thinkers of antiquity, Descartes was universal. He laid the foundations of analytical geometry, created many algebraic notations, discovered the law of conservation of motion, and explained the root causes of the motion of celestial bodies.

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The founder of classical pedagogy, the Czech scientist Jan Amos Comenius, established in the 17th century that education in schools should be comprehensive in four age groups- children's (up to 6 years), adolescence (from 6 to 12), youth (from 12 to 18) and higher schools for young people from 18 to 24 years. He was the first to express the idea of ​​publishing books for children with pictures, systematized the educational process - introduced the concept of a lesson as the main form of classes with children. All of Comenius’ proposals and wishes, and there are many dozens of them, have become part of the practical experience of European pedagogy.

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The young Florentine Galileo Galilei, who studied at the University of Pisa, attracted the attention of professors not only with clever reasoning, but also with original inventions. Alas, the gifted student was expelled from the third year - his father did not have money for his studies. But the young man found a patron, the rich Marquis Guidobaldo del Moite, who was fond of science. He supported 22-year-old Galileo. Thanks to the Marquis, a man entered the world who showed his genius in mathematics, physics, and astronomy. During his lifetime he was compared to Archimedes. He was the first to declare that the Universe is infinite.

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William Shakespeare is considered a brilliant poet and playwright not only in Great Britain, but throughout the world. It is generally accepted that his works are a kind of encyclopedia of human relationships, they are like a mirror in which people, great and insignificant, are presented in their essence. He wrote 17 comedies, 11 tragedies, 10 chronicles, 5 poems and 154 sonnets. They are studied in schools, higher education educational institutions. No playwright could achieve such greatness as Shakespeare achieved after his death. Scientists are still different countries they are trying to solve the question of how such a creator could appear in the 16th century, whose works remain relevant 400 years later.

The childhood of the future ruler of Foggy Albion was far from happy. Her father is the king Henry VIII- I was not happy about the birth of my daughter. England needed an heir to the throne, everyone was waiting for a boy. This was predicted by fortune tellers and astrologers. In honor of the future heir, knightly tournaments were organized, and a special font was prepared in the church for his baptism. And suddenly a girl. Henry only pretended to be a happy father. In fact, even then he decided to get rid of Anne Boleyn, his wife, the mother of his newly born daughter.

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