# Who is the greatest child prodigy of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172 "2003-03-05T04:11:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Neonfish07](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Neonfish07](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neonfish07)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/1 "2003-03-05T04:11:32Z")
Who is the greatest child prodigy of all time, and how do prodigies develop? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/2 "2003-03-05T04:14:03Z")
Cecil Adams. I hear it’s the radiation that does it. No, seriously. What do you mean by the greatest? There’s a lot of ways to measure “greatness” and most of them are fairly subjective. ---
**Author:** ![Neonfish07](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Neonfish07](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neonfish07)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/3 "2003-03-05T04:17:45Z")
I mean the most extraordinary child prodigy, or most amazing. ---
**Author:** ![bettybad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bettybad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bettybad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/4 "2003-03-05T04:20:56Z")
Mozart comes to mind… ---
**Author:** ![bettybad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bettybad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bettybad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/5 "2003-03-05T04:21:57Z")
Mozart comes to mind… But of course I am being Euro-centric. There may have been greater prodigies in Ancient Egypt or Sumer or Africa, but I dont know about them… ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/6 "2003-03-05T04:22:01Z")
The Great One has [discussed](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a991210.html) this. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/7 "2003-03-05T04:23:10Z")
Mozart came to my mind too. In fact my post would have been the spitting image of yours **bettybad** , if you hadn’t posted it. ---
**Author:** ![ChalkPit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@ChalkPit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChalkPit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/8 "2003-03-05T04:24:01Z")
Rgr that, I was gonna suggest Mozart. Still depends who you ask, there being so many fields in which you could be a prodigy. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/9 "2003-03-05T04:24:48Z")
Your first post, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/10 "2003-03-05T04:25:51Z")
Not really GQ material, but according to some, [Wolfgang Amadeus Motzart](http://www.physics.ucla.edu/class/85HC_Gruner/bios/mozart.html) was arguably the greatest prodigy of all time. ---
**Author:** ![bettybad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bettybad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bettybad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/11 "2003-03-05T04:26:10Z")
not my second? ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/12 "2003-03-05T04:27:21Z")
And what is the age group for “children”? Is a 14-year-old a child? A 17-year-old? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/13 "2003-03-05T04:34:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bettybad \* > \*\*not my second? \*\* It would be an unbelievable co-incidence if my post was going to be identical to your second post. (or proof that I am spying on you) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/14 "2003-03-05T04:36:31Z")
**sleeping** 0-12 - child 13-19 - teenager - 20 onwards - adult. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/15 "2003-03-05T04:37:20Z")
Sugar Chile Robinson was pretty good, although admittedly not in the same league with Mozart. He was ticklin’ the ivories at age two. ---
**Author:** ![bettybad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bettybad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bettybad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/16 "2003-03-05T04:38:00Z")
quite right and good point. not impossible, tho… ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/17 "2003-03-05T04:38:25Z")
**Q. E. D.** I did not picture you as someone who makes spelling mistakes. even accidental ones. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/18 "2003-03-05T04:39:36Z")
Oh, and welcome to the boards **bettybad** ---
**Author:** ![bettybad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bettybad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bettybad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/19 "2003-03-05T04:40:06Z")
what spelling error? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172/20 "2003-03-05T04:42:21Z")
I misspelled Mozart. Silly me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-child-prodigy-of-all-time/159172.md?page=2)