There's no single "smartest" woman in history, as intelligence is multifaceted, but Marilyn vos Savant is famous for the highest recorded IQ (228) in the Guinness Book of Records, known for her "Ask Marilyn" column and solving the Monty Hall problem, while figures like mathematician Hypatia, physicist Marie Curie, and computer science pioneer Grace Hopper are renowned for groundbreaking intellect in their fields, showcasing different forms of genius.
Marilyn vos Savant (/ˌvɒs səˈvɑːnt/ VOSS sə-VAHNT; born Marilyn Mach; August 11, 1946) is an American magazine columnist who has the highest recorded intelligence quotient (IQ) in the Guinness Book of Records, a competitive category the publication has since retired.
Meet Marilyn vos Savant – the woman with the highest recorded IQ (228). Mocked for thinking differently, but remembered for seeing what no one else could. A mind miles ahead of Einstein, Hawking, and Musk – and still, she had to fight to be taken seriously.
Marilyn Monroe was more than a glamorous icon—she was deeply intelligent and loved literature and philosophy. She reportedly had an IQ of 168, even higher than einstein's estimated 160.
Marilyn vos Savant is a New York magazine columnist, businesswoman, playwright, and more. But her most well-known claim to fame is her brain: Marilyn vos Savant is known as the person with the highest IQ ever recorded.
Marie Curie
Probably the most famous female scientist in history, Marie Curie was not only the first woman to win a Nobel prize but the first person to win two in different fields, physics and chemistry. Well-known as the discoverer of radium and polonium, she also developed a system for measuring radioactive decay.
Lady Gaga's IQ is widely rumored to be around 166, placing her in the "exceptionally gifted" or genius category, though this is an estimation often cited in celebrity lists, not a officially verified number from a public test. This high estimate is supported by her early academic achievements, like attending a summer program for the top 1% of students, and her demonstrated creative and musical genius as a composer and performer, notes Us Weekly and Brainmanager.io.
If we measure smarts by IQ alone, Marilyn edges out with a score reportedly five points higher than the famed physicist. Yes, that's right—Marilyn Monroe, often pigeonholed as the quintessential blonde bombshell, had an IQ of 165, surpassing Einstein's by a small but significant margin.
Celebrity Genius 5 - James Woods
Emmy Award winner James Woods is an Oscar-nominee and superstar has a whopping IQ of 180. While in high school, Woods was in a UCLA linear algebra course.
Terence Tao, an Australian math prodigy with a staggering IQ of 230, is widely regarded as the smartest person alive. Solving college-level problems by age 9 and earning a PhD at 20, he now teaches at UCLA and contributes to advanced fields like number theory and harmonic analysis.
Studies have shown that intelligence has a genetic component, but they have not conclusively identified any single genes that have major roles in differences in intelligence. It is likely that intelligence involves many genes that each make only a small contribution to a person's intelligence.
The Highest and Lowest Ranking Professions by IQ
As we might expect, cognitively demanding professions (such as physicist, lawyer, and financial manager) occupy the top spots, whereas manual and service-oriented roles cluster at the bottom.
Although IQ can change for an individual, across a population it is well established that IQ is stable across the lifespan. This does NOT mean that our abilities do not change as we age. IQ (as the name indicates) is a QUOTIENT, i.e., your score is calculated relative to persons of your age.
Anything above 130 is considered gifted or very advanced. Some historical IQs that have been reverse-analyzed include Albert Einstein with 160, Leonardo da Vinci with 180, and Isaac Newton with 190. As for William James Sidis, the “smartest person who ever lived,” he had an estimated IQ of around 250 to 300.
The signs of high intellectual power in adults are similar to those in children. They include quick learning, interest in unique topics, and the ability to process information fast, among others.
Stephen Hawking never officially revealed his IQ, and often dismissed the metric, famously saying, "People who boast about their IQ are losers". While estimates place his IQ around 160, a genius level, this is speculative; Hawking emphasized that creativity, persistence, and passion for science were more important than a single score, despite his profound impact on physics.
Einstein had at least 10 lovers in addition to the two women he married after affairs with them, Barbara Wolff, archivist of the Einstein letters at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, said yesterday when the letters were unveiled. He talked about several of the paramours in the letters, including a “Mrs.
Marilyn Monroe once joked to Albert Einstein, “We could have a baby together—it would be beautiful like me and smart like you.” Einstein smiled and said, “Or it might have my looks and your intelligence.” What neither of them knew then was that Marilyn's IQ was actually 165—higher than Einstein's.
IQ tests are not perfect, not should they be used to create a class-ist society ruled by high testers. Paris Hilton has a 129 IQ and Andy Warhol's was 86. But who contributed more to society?
Nicole Kidman, whose shyness and stutter made her early years difficult, nevertheless showed an impressive aptitude for ballet and acting at a young age (and at one point had a reported IQ of 132).
Her songwriting & business smarts suggest above-average intelligence, but real IQ needs a pro test. Taylor Swift's IQ is often cited online as 160, which would place her in the top 0.01% of the population, higher than 99.99% of people.
Here are 10 women who are often considered to be icons of beauty in history:
Greatest geniuses of all time
Marilyn Vos Savant is an American author, columnist, and lecturer who gained fame in 1985 when The Guinness Book of World Records listed her as having the highest IQ ever recorded—an astounding 228.