His contributions to philosophy include the famous "Pascal's Wager," which states that believing in God costs you nothing if you're wrong, and wins you everything if you're right. Besides publishing influential treatises in geometry, Pascal made significant contributions in physical science, like experimenting with atmospheric pressure and determining that a vacuum exists outside Earth's atmosphere. Fortunately, that didn't send him spiraling into child-burnout depression, and he went on to many more years of scientific achievement. By age 19, Pascal had begun to develop a hand-held, mechanical calculator, which might have made him rich if it hadn't proved impractical to mass produce (a big relief to the abacus industry). But even Pascal senior couldn't help but be impressed when his son recreated the geometry theories of Euclid, so he started taking young Poindexter to weekly meetings with the elite mathematicians of Paris. The great French thinker Blaise Pascal began studying geometry at age 12, even though his father had forbidden such academic endeavors and removed all mathematics textbooks from the house. Secret to His Success: Doing geometry when his dad wasn't looking Notable Achievement: Making a bet with God Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)Īreas of Expertise: Math, physical science, and philosophy Here are some wonder boys and girls who bucked the trend and grew up to be smart cookies. But if you or someone you love happens to be a budding brainiac, don't despair. The road from kid genius to adult dud is a well-traveled one.
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