The praise of autism these days has raised a lot of questions. Did autism just show up in our world as a result of environmental changes? Has it been around for a long time, but has it only recently been studied, defined and diagnosed? According to some historians and psychologists, autism has been around for a long time. They then showed that there were many famous autists in history.
Carefully studying the ways certain famous people in history behaved and wrote, it was discovered that they had some form of autism or the other. Some had Asperger’s syndrome (a developmental disorder that impairs social interaction and verbal communication), while others had high-functioning autism (higher-than-normal performance IQ). Although they are the same disorder, they vary in some ways.
People with Asperger’s syndrome make eye contact, have trouble decoding gestures, are unable to understand humor and sarcasm, display strange behaviors and inappropriate mannerisms.
People with high-functioning autism are very sensitive to emotions, attached to a particular problem, have difficulty socializing, have trouble understanding sensations, etc.
Any famous person in history who exhibited one or more of these symptoms could be considered autistic.
10 autistic personalities in history
1.Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein is first on our list of famous autistic people in history. He was a German theoretical physicist who lived from March 14, 1879 to April 18, 1955 (age 76). He proposed one of the two greatest theories in modern physics, the theory of relativity. Another great theory he developed was quantum mechanics. He also had some influence on the philosophy of science for some of his philosophical works.
If you’ve ever done physics, you must have come across the mass-energy relationship formula, E = mc². Einstein came up with this equation and called it “the most famous equation in the world”. In 1921 he received the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physics, in recognition of his contributions to theoretical physics. In particular, he received the award for discovering the law of photoelectric effects, an essential contribution to the development of quantum theory.
According to researchers from Cambridge and Oxford universities, Albert Einstein has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. Although he was very intelligent, he had language difficulties and social interaction problems. He also found it difficult to learn in school. Referring to Ioan James’ publication in the Royal Society of Medicine, ‘Singular Scientists’, he suggested that Einstein showed many signs of autism. He further stated that Einstein was obsessed and always forgetful in his youth.
2.Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton also makes our list of famous historical figures with autism. He was an English scientist, philosopher, physicist and mathematician, born in 1643 and died in 1726 (83 years old). His contributions made him the most influential and respected scientist in history. He has been credited with developing the modern laws of gravity, mechanics, and motion. Newton paved the way for the scientific revolution of the 17th century with his 1687 work, Principia Mathematica (Principles of Mathematics). He had also worked on alchemy, optics and religion.
Some of his mathematical achievements include the binomial theorem, classified curves in the cubic plane, finite difference theory, use of fractional indices, inversion of power series, etc. the famous laws of motion.
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, from the Autism Research Center at the University of Cambridge, examined the behavior of Sir Isaac Newton. He had reason to believe that Newton was displaying the symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome.
3.Lewis Carroll
Third on this list, his real name is CharlesLutwidge Dodgson. Lewis Carroll is his pseudonym. Lewis was a famous English writer who lived between 1832 and 1898 (66 years old). He was renowned for writing two notable children’s novels, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. He was also the poet who wrote Jabberwocky and The Snark Hunt. Lewis was also a photographer and mathematician.
Lewis, one of our famous people with autism, had problems understanding manners and social conventions. He was known for turning down invitations, but showing up unannounced at a very bad time. Those who knew him said he saw the world from particular perspectives and tended to get lost in his fantasy world.
Michael Fitzgerald, professor of child and adolescent psychology at Trinity College Dublin and author of Autism and creativity: is there a link between autism in men and exceptional ability? think Lewis Carroll may have had autism. He never really made friends and was extremely shy.
4. Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, who lived from July 1856 to January 1943 (87 years old). He was famous for his contributions to the development of AC power. He was also a mechanical engineer, electrical engineer and futurist.
Some characters he exhibited have been analyzed to be connected to symptoms of autism. He followed a meticulously organized daily routine that saw him work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. sharp. He always dined at 8.10 p.m. sharp at the same restaurant, served by a particular waiter.
It was also said that he was always sick when he was a young man. During which, he would have visions. Although some may attribute it to the spark of genius, there are strong similarities to high-functioning autism.
5.Thomas Jefferson
Who would have thought that a former president would be on our list of famous people with autism. Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was born in 1743 and died in 1826 (83 years old). Prior to serving as President, he served as Second Vice President of the United States.
Jefferson had a problem with people and was not comfortable speaking in public. In Norm Ledgin, an author and journalist wrote a book called Diagnosing Jefferson. In his book, he claimed that Jefferson definitely had Asperger’s Syndrome.
He said that although Jefferson kept a meticulous financial record, he was still in debt. He maintains that he had evidence to prove that Jefferson had autism in his book.
6.Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin was an English biologist, geologist and naturalist, famous for his theory of evolution. He proposed that everything living is descended from a common ancestor that evolved over time. Amidst various decrying views, his theory was accepted and considered a fundamental concept of modern science.
According to Michael Fitzgerald, professor of psychology, Charles Darwin had Asperger’s syndrome. He believed that this contributed to the scientific breakthroughs made by Darwin.
He said Darwin never had a social life. Rather, he would follow the same route for a long time. He took special notice of mundane things and even picked up shells and insects as a child.
7.Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol was an American artist who lived from August 6, 1928 to February 22, 1987 (age 59). He played a leading role in pop art, a visual art movement. His works were in high demand in the 1960s as he explored the connection between artistic expressions and advertising. It is multi-faceted and spans a variety of mediums – film, painting, photography, sculpture and screen printing.
He proved to be repetitive in his works. According to Judith Gould, director of Britain’s leading autism diagnostic centre, confirmed it was a symptom of autism. In fact, Warhol wore a particular type of green cotton undergarment. It’s common among autistic people and puts him firmly in our list of autistic celebrities.
8. Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, popularly known by his first name, he was an Italian architect, sculptor, painter and poet of the Renaissance. He was born on March 6, 1475 and died on February 18, 1564 (89 years old). For some, he is the greatest artist of his time. For others, he is the best of all time. Due to the versatility of his works, he is placed next to Leonardo da Vinci, as a Renaissance man par excellence.
Dr. Muhammad Arshad believes Michelangelo had Asperger’s syndrome, one of the types of autism. What he said because he couldn’t converse properly. He was really strange and isolated. He attended his own brother’s funeral. This suggests that he may have struggled to show his emotions. According to Arshad, his retentive memory allowed him to very quickly create hundreds of sketches used in the Sistine Chapel.
9. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart was a highly influential classical music composer who was born on January 27, 1756 and died on December 5, 1791 (age 35). There have been many myths surrounding his untimely death, however, it’s all there. During his short existence, he composed more than 600 musical compositions. His first song was written when he was eight years old.
Mozart repeatedly made facial expressions, moved his hands and feet perpetually, he had crazy mood swings and he was very sensitive to noise. These symptoms are consistent with those of an autistic person. So, on this premise, it can be said that Mozart is definitely one of the famous autistic people in history.
10. William Butler Yeats
Yeats completes our list of 10 famous autistic people in history. He was an Irish poet who lived from 1865 to 1939 (age 74). He was a notable personality in literature in the 20th century. Besides being a poet, he was also a politician. He served as a Senator from the Irish Free State for two terms.
For much of Williams’ life, he was socially out of touch. This has been confirmed in the work of Professor Michael Fitzgerald. He then added that he had difficulty reading and writing, which contributed to his poor performance in school. However, his autistic condition was considered mild.