10 Of America’s Most Legendary Minds

Marilyn vos Savant

Marilyn vos Savant is an American author, lecturer, magazine columnist, and playwright. She was born in 1946, in St. Louis, Missouri. She started working for local newspapers using pseudonyms since she was 16 years old, so her passion for writing started really early.

According to Jezebel, Marilyn vos Savant studied philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis but dropped out after two years to invest in real estate and work with her family. A few years later, she moved to New York to pursue a career in writing, her long-time passion.

In 1987, she married Robert Jarvik, who was the inventor of the Jarvik artificial heart. Her fame started when she was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records under “Highest IQ,” as she has earned IQ scores ranging from 157 to 228. She also entered the Guinness Book of World Records Hall of Fame in 1988.

Savant had her own column “Ask Marilyn” in Parade magazine, where she gave an answer to academic questions, mathematic or vocabulary puzzles, and gave advice based on logic. Savant became the Chief Financial Officer of Jarvik Heart, Inc., she was on the advisory boards of the National Association for Gifted Children and the National Women’s History Museum, one of the directors of the National Council on Economic Education, and part of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

She was also named one of ‘Five Outstanding Speakers of 1999’ by Toastmasters International and received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from The College of New Jersey.

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