HISTORICAL INTELLIGENCE INDEX

A transparent research index of famous historical IQ estimates. Compare the commonly cited point estimate with a cautious range, evidence confidence and source-led profile—not a fictional test result.

Updated: August 2026

Version 1.0 · methodology disclosed

Historical Figures

Verified Test Scores

Enhanced Evidence Files

Eras Covered

How to Read the Index

None of these entries is treated as a verified standardized IQ score. The point estimate is a comparative editorial model based on documented work, education and contemporary accounts. The range reflects uncertainty; the confidence label reflects the quality and proximity of evidence—not certainty that the range is correct.

Rank	Name	Era	Archetype	Estimate	Range / Confidence
1	Alan Turing Mathematician & Computer Scientist	20th Century	The Visionary	170+	155–180 Very low
2	Gottfried Leibniz Mathematician & Philosopher	17th-18th Century	The Sage	170+	155–180 Very low
3	Emmy Noether Mathematician	20th Century	The Sage	170+	155–180 Very low
4	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer	18th Century	The Creator	165+	150–175 Very low
5	Archimedes Mathematician & Inventor	Ancient Greece	The Creator	165+	155–175 Very low
6	Blaise Pascal Mathematician & Philosopher	17th Century	The Sage	165+	150–175 Very low
7	Leonardo da Vinci Polymath	Renaissance	The Creator	160+	145–170 Very low
8	Nikola Tesla Inventor	20th Century	The Visionary	160+	145–170 Very low
9	Isaac Newton Physicist & Mathematician	17th Century	The Logician	160+	145–170 Very low
10	Albert Einstein Physicist	20th Century	The Sage	160+	150–170 Low
11	Stephen Hawking Theoretical Physicist	20th-21st Century	The Sage	160+	145–170 Very low
12	William Shakespeare Playwright & Poet	16th-17th Century	The Creator	160+	145–170 Very low
13	Plato Philosopher	Ancient Greece	The Sage	160+	145–170 Very low
14	Aristotle Philosopher & Polymath	Ancient Greece	The Scholar	160+	145–170 Very low
15	Galileo Galilei Astronomer & Physicist	17th Century	The Rebel	160+	145–170 Very low
16	Richard Feynman Theoretical Physicist	20th Century	The Creator	160+	145–170 Very low
17	Immanuel Kant Philosopher	18th Century	The Logician	160+	145–170 Very low
18	René Descartes Philosopher & Mathematician	17th Century	The Logician	160+	145–170 Very low
19	Johann Sebastian Bach Composer	18th Century	The Scholar	160+	145–170 Very low
20	Noam Chomsky Linguist & Activist	20th-21st Century	The Rebel	160+	145–170 Very low
21	Socrates Philosopher	Ancient Greece	The Sage	155+	140–165 Very low
22	Michelangelo Artist & Sculptor	Renaissance	The Creator	155+	140–165 Very low
23	Ludwig van Beethoven Composer	18th-19th Century	The Hero	155+	140–165 Very low
24	Friedrich Nietzsche Philosopher	19th Century	The Rebel	155+	140–165 Very low
25	Bill Gates Microsoft Co-founder	20th-21st Century	The Builder	155+	140–165 Very low
26	Elon Musk Tech Entrepreneur	21st Century	The Visionary	155+	140–165 Very low
27	Pythagoras Mathematician & Philosopher	Ancient Greece	The Sage	155+	140–165 Very low
28	Leo Tolstoy Novelist & Philosopher	19th Century	The Sage	155+	140–165 Very low
29	John Locke Philosopher	17th Century	The Sage	155+	140–165 Very low
30	Karl Marx Philosopher & Economist	19th Century	The Rebel	155+	140–165 Very low
31	Adam Smith Economist & Philosopher	18th Century	The Scholar	155+	140–165 Very low
32	Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomer	16th Century	The Scholar	155+	140–165 Very low
33	Louis Pasteur Microbiologist	19th Century	The Scholar	155+	140–165 Very low
34	Marie Curie Physicist & Chemist	20th Century	The Scholar	150	135–160 Very low
35	Alexander the Great King of Macedonia	Ancient Greece	The Hero	150+	135–160 Very low
36	Benjamin Franklin Polymath & Founding Father	18th Century	The Creator	150+	135–160 Very low
37	Julius Caesar Roman Dictator & General	Ancient Rome	The Ruler	150+	135–160 Very low
38	Carl Sagan Astronomer & Science Communicator	20th Century	The Sage	150+	135–160 Very low
39	Steve Jobs Apple Co-founder	20th-21st Century	The Visionary	150+	135–160 Very low
40	Jeff Bezos Amazon Founder	20th-21st Century	The Ruler	150+	140–160 Very low
41	Mark Zuckerberg Meta CEO	21st Century	The Builder	150+	135–160 Very low
42	Carl Jung Psychiatrist & Psychologist	20th Century	The Magician	150+	135–160 Very low
43	Virginia Woolf Novelist & Essayist	20th Century	The Creator	150+	135–160 Very low
44	Fyodor Dostoevsky Novelist	19th Century	The Magician	150+	140–160 Very low
45	Isaac Asimov Science Fiction Author	20th Century	The Scholar	150+	135–160 Very low
46	Augustus Caesar First Roman Emperor	Ancient Rome	The Ruler	150+	135–160 Very low
47	Thomas Jefferson US Founding Father	18th Century	The Sage	150+	135–160 Very low
48	Frédéric Chopin Composer & Pianist	19th Century	The Creator	150+	135–160 Very low
49	Simone de Beauvoir Philosopher & Feminist	20th Century	The Rebel	150+	135–160 Very low
50	Maria Montessori Educator & Physician	20th Century	The Caregiver	150+	135–160 Very low
51	Lao Tzu Philosopher	Ancient China	The Sage	150+	135–160 Very low
52	Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of the French	19th Century	The Ruler	145	135–155 Low
53	Ada Lovelace Mathematician (Early Computing)	19th Century	The Visionary	145	130–155 Very low
54	Sun Tzu Military Strategist	Ancient China	The Strategist	145+	130–155 Very low
55	Confucius Philosopher	Ancient China	The Sage	145+	130–155 Very low
56	Thomas Edison Inventor & Businessman	19th-20th Century	The Builder	145	130–155 Very low
57	Queen Elizabeth I Queen of England	16th Century	The Ruler	145+	130–155 Very low
58	Pablo Picasso Artist	20th Century	The Creator	145+	130–155 Very low
59	Warren Buffett Investor	20th-21st Century	The Sage	145+	130–155 Very low
60	Jane Austen Novelist	19th Century	The Observer	145+	130–155 Very low
61	Mark Twain Author & Humorist	19th Century	The Jester	145+	130–155 Very low
62	Franz Kafka Novelist	20th Century	The Outcast	145+	130–155 Very low
63	Charles Dickens Novelist	19th Century	The Hero	145+	130–155 Very low
64	Marcus Aurelius Roman Emperor & Philosopher	Ancient Rome	The Sage	145+	130–155 Very low
65	Theodore Roosevelt US President	20th Century	The Hero	145+	130–155 Very low
66	Franklin D. Roosevelt US President	20th Century	The Ruler	145+	130–155 Very low
67	Rembrandt van Rijn Painter	17th Century	The Creator	145+	130–155 Very low
68	Salvador Dalí Surrealist Artist	20th Century	The Magician	145+	130–155 Very low
69	Alan Watts Philosopher & Speaker	20th Century	The Sage	145+	130–155 Very low
70	Cleopatra Pharaoh of Egypt	Ancient Egypt	The Magician	140	125–150 Very low
71	Sigmund Freud Father of Psychoanalysis	20th Century	The Magician	140+	125–150 Very low
72	Charles Darwin Naturalist & Biologist	19th Century	The Scholar	140+	125–150 Very low
73	Abraham Lincoln President of the United States	19th Century	The Statesman	140+	125–150 Very low
74	Catherine the Great Empress of Russia	18th Century	The Ruler	140+	125–150 Very low
75	Ernest Hemingway Novelist & Journalist	20th Century	The Hero	140+	125–150 Very low
76	John F. Kennedy US President	20th Century	The Hero	140+	130–150 Very low
77	Margaret Thatcher UK Prime Minister	20th Century	The Ruler	140+	125–150 Very low
78	Indira Gandhi Indian Prime Minister	20th Century	The Ruler	140+	125–150 Very low
79	Claude Monet Impressionist Painter	19th-20th Century	The Creator	140+	125–150 Very low
80	Maya Angelou Poet & Memoirist	20th-21st Century	The Hero	140+	125–150 Very low
81	Wangari Maathai Environmentalist & Activist	20th-21st Century	The Caregiver	140+	125–150 Very low
82	Winston Churchill Prime Minister	WWII	The Warrior	135	125–145 Low
83	Vincent van Gogh Artist	19th Century	The Creator	135+	120–145 Very low
84	Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Leader	20th Century	The Hero	130+	120–140 Low
85	Nelson Mandela Anti-Apartheid Revolutionary	20th Century	The Statesman	130+	115–140 Very low
86	Genghis Khan Founder of the Mongol Empire	13th Century	The Ruler	130+	115–140 Very low
87	Frida Kahlo Artist	20th Century	The Creator	130+	115–140 Very low
88	Queen Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom	19th Century	The Caregiver	130+	115–140 Very low
89	Mahatma Gandhi Leader of Indian Independence	20th Century	The Sage	125+	110–135 Very low
90	Harriet Tubman Abolitionist & Conductor	19th Century	The Hero	125+	110–135 Very low
91	Rosa Parks Civil Rights Activist	20th Century	The Hero	125+	110–135 Very low
92	Joan of Arc French Military Leader	15th Century	The Hero	120+	105–130 Very low

HISTORICAL INTELLIGENCE INDEX

How to Read the Index

Highest Editorial Estimates

Alan Turing

Gottfried Leibniz

Emmy Noether

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Archimedes

Blaise Pascal

Leonardo da Vinci

Nikola Tesla

Isaac Newton

Albert Einstein

Complete Rankings

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