ABSTRACT
Quick question: What attribute do the following seven persons have in common that is utterly uncommon? Aristotle, Ludwig van Beethoven, Emily Dickinson, Thomas Edison, Galileo Galilei, Pablo Picasso, and Leo Tolstoy. Need a hint? They also share exactly the same rare characteristic with another seven: Julius Caesar, Catherine the Great, Winston Churchill, Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela, Mao Zedong, and Muhammad. If you still need help, it’s permissible to Google those names that might be unfamiliar to you. Don’t worry, a lengthy and detailed Wikipedia article on each and every one is absolutely guaranteed. You’re right! They all went down in history for their distinctive contributions to the annals of human civilization. As such, they all represent the pinnacle of what individuals can achieve. They are the gold medalists in creativity or leadership. Each can be considered a bona fide genius in their chosen area of achievement. Hence, any scientist who wanted to investigate the apex of human potential in a given area could do no better than to use these luminaries as research “participants”.
