An unusual biography of an unusual person. The most unusual people in the world (photos and videos) The most amazing person in the world
Scientists are notoriously strange people. In any case, a person needs to be very different from the majority in order to be able to offer unconventional ideas. Many scientists were eccentric and sarcastic, others were arrogant people who couldn't understand why everyone around them was so stupid. And some were ready to give their whole lives to make a discovery that would turn the world upside down. Therefore, it is quite interesting to take a look at ten of the strangest facts about the most famous scientists in history.
No beans
You can thank Pythagoras for one of the pillars of geometry - the theorem named after him. However, some of his ideas were not so brilliant. For example, he followed a vegetarian diet, but he never wanted to eat beans. Legend has it that the beans were partly to blame for his death. Allegedly, bandits attacked his house, he began to run away, but ran into a bean field. He decided that he would rather die than set foot there, and his throat was quickly cut.
When to leave
The 16th century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe was a nobleman known for his eccentric manner in both life and death. He lost his nose in a duel in college and has worn a metal prosthetic ever since. And he loved to party - he had his own island where he invited his friends to do all sorts of wild things. He showed the guests a moose that he had tamed, as well as a dwarf that he treated as a court jester and fed him scraps from the table like a dog. However, his love of partying was the cause of his death. At a banquet in Prague, Braga had to go to the toilet, but he remained at the table, as this would have been a violation of etiquette. And he made a mistake because he ended up developing a kidney infection and his bladder burst 11 days later.
Unsung Hero
Nikola Tesla was one of the unsung heroes of science. He came to America from Serbia in 1884 and immediately went to work for Thomas Edison, making a number of breakthroughs in radio engineering, robotics and electronics, some of which Edison appropriated for himself. In fact, it was Tesla who invented the Edison light bulb. However, Tesla was not simply compulsive in his scientific wanderings - he most likely suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, refusing to touch anything if there was any dirt in it. He was also afraid of hair, pearl earrings and anything round. In addition, he was obsessed with the number three - for example, he walked around the building three times before entering. And at every meal, he used exactly 18 napkins to clean his cutlery.
Absent-minded Professor
Werner Heisenberg is an excellent example of a brilliant theoretical physicist who always had his head in the clouds. In 1927, he derived the famous uncertainty equations of quantum mechanics, rules that explain the behavior of small subatomic particles. However, he practically failed the doctor's exam, since he knew practically nothing about experimental techniques. When the examiner asked him how a battery works, it turned out that the physicist had no idea about it.
Prolific polymath
Physicist Robert Oppenheimer was a polymath who spoke eight languages fluently and had a wide range of interests, including poetry, linguistics and philosophy. As a result, Oppenheimer sometimes found it difficult to understand the limitations of others. For example, in 1931 Lev Nedelsky worked with him at the same university. One day, Oppenheimer asked a colleague to write a report for him, giving him a book that contained all the necessary information. Later, the colleague returned puzzled - after all, the book was in Dutch. Oppenheimer was no less surprised, since he believed that Dutch was an extremely simple and accessible language.
Chronology
Architect and scientist Buckminster Fuller is best known for his creation of the geodesic dome in the thirties and several other exciting discoveries. But Fuller was also remembered by everyone as an extremely eccentric person. He wore three wristwatches, set to different time zones, when traveling long distances, and also slept only two hours a night (he later had to abandon this idea). But he also spent a lot of time chronologizing his life. From 1915 to 1983, Fuller kept a detailed diary, which he updated every 15 minutes. As a result, his diary reached 82 meters in height and is now kept at Stanford University.
Homeless mathematician
Pál Erdős was a Hungarian mathematical theorist who was so dedicated to his work that he never married, lived on the street and could show up to his friends at any time, drop in without asking, and stay in the house for days at a time while he worked on his theories.
Physicist joker
Richard Feynman was one of the most prolific and famous physicists of the 20th century. But he was also a joker and mischief-maker. For example, while working on projects, he had fun hacking locks and security systems to show how flawed they were. In addition, he spent time with girls from Las Vegas while awaiting the Nobel Prize, learned the Mayan language and did many other strange things.
Strange furniture
British mathematician and electrical engineer Oliver Heaviside was a genius who made many discoveries. But at the same time, he was incredibly strange - he furnished his house with granite blocks instead of furniture, painted his nails bright pink, could drink only milk all day long, and so on.
Bone Wars
Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Cope were leading paleontologists during the breakthrough era of dinosaur research in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. And both scientists used dirty tactics to get around the other - sending spies, bribing guards, stealing dinosaur bones from each other and publicly humiliating each other. But at the same time they still made a huge contribution to paleontological knowledge about dinosaurs.
The story of Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs, as retold by Walter Isaacson, is one of the most popular modern biographies, often mentioned in various collections. Steve Jobs chronicles the life and career of one of the most influential entrepreneurs of the 21st century, his great failure and how it helped him succeed and conquer the world.
The co-founder of Microsoft talks in his autobiography about the years of the company's emergence and growth, and his complex and close relationship with Gates. In this book you will find a couple of ideas on how to start your own business, interact with partners, make money and, importantly, how to spend it.
David Kirkpatrick's book is the true story of the creation of the No. 1 social network with more than half a billion users. The protagonist of the story, Mark Zuckerberg, himself provided the journalist with unlimited access to information about himself and Facebook, so the facts presented in the book can be considered as reliable as possible.
Tony Hsieh is an Internet entrepreneur and CEO of the online retailer Zappos. The autobiography tells the story of the life and development of a businessman: from opening a worm farm at the age of nine to the creation of Zappos and LinkExchange, which were later purchased by Amazon and Microsoft. This cheerful story will help young entrepreneurs make their business even more useful and profitable.
Blake Mycoskie is an American entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist, best known as the founder of Toms Shoes. She is famous not only for her espadrilles, but also for the fact that when you buy a pair of shoes, the same ones are sent to poor children with foot diseases. In his book, Mycoskie talks not only about how to make a profit, but also about how to start a business that will benefit people.
“Shoe Salesman” is another success story, this time from Nike creator Phil Knight, who as a child could not afford Adidas sneakers. This book tells the story of how an entrepreneur founded a company that became a serious competitor to the company with three stripes. In addition, “The Shoe Salesman” will reveal what happened to the waitress who drew the Nike logo for $30, and how an aeronautical engineer from NASA came up with the famous Air Max.
The business autobiography of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is not an ordinary success story, but a cautionary tale that proves that a company can make high profits without abandoning its principles. Howard Schultz says that treating employees and customers with love and respect, producing a top-quality product and providing appropriate service are the fundamentals that cannot be sacrificed even in the most difficult periods for a company.
The autobiography of multi-billionaire Richard Branson will appeal to those who want to become an entrepreneur, build a successful business, or simply learn how the Virgin empire was built. This book talks about the exciting path and grandiose results that can await someone who has an entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to realize it. Branson began his career by selling defective records under the Virgin brand. At the moment, the Virgin Group includes more than 400 companies of various profiles, and the number of corporate employees exceeds 50 thousand people.
The book by the outstanding American industrialist is not a collection of abstract general recommendations on creating and running a business, but a reference book with applied information. Henry Ford teaches in simple words the intricacies of everyday life, and in the same way he explains the most complex production relations, backing up what he has said with examples - models that are operational even after a hundred years.
The autobiography of former Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson will appeal not only to football fans. This book is the story of an unusually strong man who knows very well that without severe disappointments there are no great victories.
"A Life in Cast" is a brutally honest story of a career full of ups and downs, the autobiography of a man who has come a long way to become a movie star. Bryan Cranston talks about his past, treating every status in his life like a movie role, be it a house painter or a murder suspect. The book will appeal to all fans of fascinating non-fiction literature and fans of Cranston in particular.
If biographies of successful entrepreneurs don't inspire you, you might like Stephen King's memoirs. If you have to write for work, and are already tired of textbooks on journalism and philology, then “How to Write Books” is a great way to take a useful break from boring textbooks. If you are just starting to write, then King’s biography is also suitable: the author talks to the reader without arrogance, on an equal footing, motivating him to be creative.
Biography of Christopher McCandless - an American downshifter traveler who set off to an uninhabited part of Alaska with small supplies of food and equipment in the hope of living for some time in solitude. “Into the Wild” is an example of a person’s dedication and willingness to give up the benefits of civilization in search of peace of mind. The end of this story is sad, but McCandless’s philosophy is close to many.
Autobiography of Solomon Northup - a free-born African American who, by coincidence, fell into slavery. This book teaches that even in the most seemingly hopeless situations one should not give up and lose hope. The film adaptation of this story won an Oscar for Best Picture in 2013.
Incredible facts
You can find many unusual things in the world.
Below we will talk about the most unusual people which can cause a smile, surprise or even shock.
These people were included in the Guinness Book of Records or became famous with the assistance of the media.
Rubber boy
Jaspreet Singh Kalra
At the age of fifteen, this guy became known as "Rubber Boy" He can turn his head 180°.
Inseparable friends
Sambat and Chomran
Under the bed of a boy named Sambat, his mother discovered a very small snake. Then Sambat was only 3 months old. Since then, the boy and the snake Khomran - inseparable friends: they eat, sleep and play together.
The biggest mouth
Francisco Domingo Joaquim
This resident of Angola is the holder of the title "The world's largest mouth."The size of his mouth is 17 cm,which allows him to do 14 times in 1 minute place and remove a 0.33 liter can.
Woman with horn
Zhang Ruifang
This 102-year-old woman from China, Henan Province, is famous for her real horn, who grew up with her on the forehead. The anomaly surprises scientists, especially since the horn has been constantly growing for several years (it has already reached a mark exceeding 7 cm).
Anvil Man
Gino Martino
The American artist and wrestler can shock you with his ability rack your brains objects such as concrete blocks, iron bars, baseball bats. Doctors say that Gino has super strong skull.
The man who doesn't sleep
Yakov Tsiperovich
About 70 different films were made about this man from Belarus (Minsk), because Yakov Tsiperovich, after clinical death, not only did not die, but also I stopped even sleeping. After numerous examinations, scientists and doctors confirmed this fact, but could not explain it.
Longest hair
Tran Van Hay
A resident of Vietnam had longest hair in the world (6.8 m). He had his hair braided in thick braids since he was 25 because it was so convenient for him. Chiang Van Hei died when he was 79 years old.
Man with raised hand
Sadhu Amar Bharati
Hindu Sadhu Amar Bharati in 1973 raised his right hand above his head, bowing to the god Shiva. Since then he hasn't put it down.
Airport like home
Mehran Karimi Nasseri
This Iranian refugee lived from 1988 to 2006 in the terminal of Charles de Gaulle airport (France). It was Mehran Karimi Nasseri who came up with the idea for the famous film “The Terminal”.
Longest nose
Mehmet Ozyurek
The owner of the longest nose, as recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, is Mehmet Ozyurek, a resident of Turkey born in 1949. In 2010, it was determined that his nose was as long as 8.8 cm.
Best karateka
Masutatsu Oyama
Legends were made about the owner of the 10th dan of karate, an outstanding master, the creator of the Kyokushinkai style and karate teacher Masutatsu Oyama. This is the man who smashed with the edge of his palm 4 bricks or 17 layers of tiles.
Behind the back of the great karateka there are about 50 fights with bulls, of which he killed three without any weapons, and Broke the horns of 49 bulls.
The fattest man
Carol Ann Yager
This woman is the undisputed record holder for the most weight in history. Carol Yeager's weight at age 20 was 727 kg. With such weight, she could not even move, so several special devices were created for Carol.
The man who remembers everything
Jill Price
A woman who remembers literally everything in her life to the smallest detail, starting from adolescence. Jill Price remembers when she woke up, what she ate, any songs, smells or places she was. If you think it's "cool", then Jill perceives her gift as a curse.
Using self-hypnosis
Alex Lenkei
He decided to use his mind rather than anesthesia. Using self-hypnosis, Alex Lenkay can block all pain after and before the operation, being fully conscious.
The most alive of the dead
Lal Bihari
We are talking about a farmer born in 1961 who lives in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Lal was mistakenly officially dead from 1976 to 1994. With his own death certificate in hand, he fought the Indian government bureaucracy for 18 years to prove that he was the living one.
Lal Bihari even founded Association of the Dead for the victims of such terrible mistakes by Indian officials.
Embryo in embryo
Sanju Bhagat
He suffered from a strange condition known as fetus in fetu(embryo in embryo). Sanju Bhagat had a twin brother in his belly for many years. At first, doctors assumed that it was a tumor, but after operating on the unfortunate man, they removed parts of the dead baby.
Japanese inventor
Yoshiro Nakamatsu
A famous Japanese inventor claims to be the world leader in the number of inventions. (more than 3,000). Perhaps Yoshiro Nakamatsu's most famous invention is the computer floppy disk. And the main goal of a scientist is to live more than 140 years.
The man who eats metal
Michael Lotito
For the first time, a 9-year-old French boy ate TV. Then Michael Lotito learned to swallow rubber, metal and even glass.
He surpassed himself and got into the Guinness Book of Records when he ate a whole airplane, however, it took him two years. Doctors note the fact that Michael is still alive only because the walls of his stomach are twice as thick as those of an ordinary person.
Tooth King
Radhakrishnan Velu
A Malaysian man is famous for being able to move various vehicles by himself and only teeth. The biggest load that Radhakrishnan Velu pulled was a whole train, consisting of six cars and having a mass 297 t!
Many people worry that there are no unique features in their appearance. However, there are individuals whose sense of their own “mediocrity” has forced them to look for extremely extravagant ways to attract the attention of others. And there are those who would be happy not to stand out from the crowd, but Mother Nature made arrangements for them. Here is a list of the most unusual people in the world, whose photos prove that they are not the figment of some wild imagination.
30. Chinese Rapunzel
Of the countries that claim to have the longest hair in the world, the Chinese are one of the last to come to mind. However, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Xie Quipingt from China has the longest hair in the world. Their length at the time of measurement in 2004 reached 5.627 meters. She said she started growing her hair in 1973, meaning she hadn't cut her hair in 31 years when the record was set.
29. The Man with Giant Nails
Even if your nails are more like claws in size, they are far from the nails of Indian Sridhar Chillal.
He started growing his nails back in the early 1950s because he saw a teacher scold a student who broke a nail. Over the course of 62 years, the nails on his left hand grew to an impressive length of 910 centimeters.
Because of such an impressive size of his nails, the man was unable to get a job, and it’s difficult for him in everyday life. But the Guinness Book of Records requires sacrifice.
28. Woman with eyes popping out of their sockets
There is an expression “his (or her) eyes bulged out of their sockets.” You can see what it really looks like by looking at the photo of Jalisa Thompson. She can effortlessly squeeze eyeballs out of their sockets and then return them to their natural place.
27. Elastic man
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome causes a defect in the synthesis of type III collagen in the body, and there is no cure for the disease. Englishman Harry Turner, who holds the title of “the man with the most elastic skin,” has this syndrome. He was able to pull the skin on his abdomen 15.8 centimeters away from the rest of his body.
However, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is no fun as it can lead to ruptured blood vessels and then death.
26. People with the widest tongue
The tongue of Byron Schlenker from New York is 8.6 cm wide. The man became a local celebrity because his tongue was wider than an iPhone 6.
Byron's daughter, Emily, also has a tongue of impressive size, its width reaches 7.3 cm. This is larger than that of any other woman in the world.
It is interesting that Mrs. Schlenker's tongue is of normal size.
25. Endless plastic
The strangest people in the world do not necessarily have any diseases or congenital anomalies. Here, 61-year-old Cindy Jackson holds the title of “record holder for the number of plastic surgeries.”
She has had more than a dozen major surgeries, including facelifts, rhinoplasty, liposuction, jaw surgery, implants, and countless smaller surgeries. There were more than 52 of them in total.
Jackson was named one of the top users of cosmetic surgery in 2000, and she doesn't stop there because...she just doesn't want to.
24. Big Nose
No one has ever received more comments about his nose than Turk Mehmet Ozyurek, and that's because he has the biggest nose in the world. At the time of measurement for entry into the Guinness Book, the length of Mehmet's nose was 8.8 cm.
23. Too many teeth
You may have looked at the photo above and thought there was nothing special about it. Now look at it again, knowing that the norm for humans is 32 teeth, not 37, like the Indian native Vijay Kumar.
22. Modified Man
Kala Kaivi, who works as a tattoo artist, has decorated (or disfigured - everyone has their own opinion) the body and eyes with tattoos, piercings and even silicone horns on the head. He also has the largest ear tunnels in the world, their diameter is 109 mm.
21. Horned woman
In the Middle Ages, the Chinese woman Liang Xiuzhen, nicknamed the “unicorn woman,” could have been burned at the stake. Fortunately, modern science knows that such a cutaneous horn on the head is not caused by kinship with the Devil, but by a virus. Such formation is life-threatening, as it is susceptible to constant infections. Liang's growth reaches 13 cm in length and gives her unpleasant sensations. However, an elderly woman may simply not be able to endure a surgical operation to remove the “horn”.
20. Holes in the face
German-born Joel Miggler has 11 holes in his face. He made huge tunnels in the cheeks, and smaller tunnels in the upper lip, under the lower lip, in the nasal septum and in the nose.
Joel made the first changes in his body at the age of 13. It is unlikely that most teenagers will be allowed to repeat such a “feat” by their parents.
19. Wasp waist
Many women dream of a thin waist. However, Michelle Kobke took this dream to the extreme. Using a special corset (almost without removing it), Kobka managed to reduce her waist to a staggering 40.6 cm.
In the end, Michelle stopped wearing corsets because her waist had already reached the ideal and decided to return to normal life. She's gained a few centimeters, but her waist is still super-thin.
18. Hair in the ears
Few people consider the sight of hair growing in the ears to be a beautiful sight. However, Indian Radhakanta Bajpai is not like most people. He never cut the hair in his ears and they reached 13.2 cm in length.
Bajpai has no intention of removing his ear hair as he has been growing it since he was 18 and believes it symbolizes good luck and prosperity. He even uses a special shampoo to keep the ear hairs smooth and silky.
17. Silicone penis
A photo of one of the strangest people in the world looks like a porn director's dream. However, in reality, Misha Stanz cannot have normal sex. Dreaming of a huge phallus, he injected himself with silicone four times into the penis and scrotum. As a result, his dignity grew to 23 cm in length and 9 cm in width. And it weighs 4.3 kg. But Misha is still far from the size of the owner.
16. Bloody tears
One day, 17-year-old Melanie Harvey bled from her eyes and ears. Melanie and her mother, Katherine, consulted several doctors, but doctors could not find the cause of this frightening phenomenon.
The bleeding became more and more severe because doctors could not give recommendations on how to stop it. And now Melanie bleeds not only from her ears and eyes, but also from her nose and nails about five times a day.
15. The man who hardly ages
A South Korean named Hyomung Shin is one of the strangest people on Earth. He looks 12 or 13 years old, but is actually 26.
Shin has a very rare condition known as "highlander syndrome", meaning he does not age as quickly as a normal person. Shin is often not allowed into clubs because security believes he has a fake passport. Even the reporters couldn't believe that this "boy" was no longer required to go to school, but Shin was able to prove his age.
14. The man who changed his race
A change of gender in our world will no longer surprise anyone, but what about an unintentional change of race? An elderly inventor from Krasnodar, Semyon Gendler, was diagnosed with hepatitis C and cancer. In one of the American clinics, he received a liver transplant from an African American, and since then Gandler’s appearance has changed dramatically. Simply put, it darkened. But Semyon is happy and claims that he has gained a second wind. Perhaps because his transplanted liver is only 38 years old.
13. Popeye
Arm wrestler Jeff Dabe from Minnesota was born with massive forearms, which is very reminiscent of Popeye the sailor from the cartoons. He has a nickname accordingly. Dabe's forearm circumference is 49 cm.
Doctors initially assumed that Jeff had gigantism or “elephant disease,” but did not find any of these or other pathologies in him.
12. Man with the head of a parrot
Ted Richards, a 57-year-old man from England, has undergone a major body transformation that includes more than 100 tattoos and 50 piercings. He also removed the ears to allow more room on the head for something that isn't usually found on human heads.
Richards has five parrots that he loves very much, and now he strives to be as much like them as possible. Richards is pleased with the progress and believes that this is the best thing that has happened to him in his life.
11. Barbie
Ukrainian Valeria Lukyanova did everything possible to turn herself into a living Barbie doll.
Some experts believe that such a transformation became possible thanks to the achievements of plastic surgery. Others believe it's down to skillful makeup, countless hours in the gym, and the use of photo editors. Experts agree on one thing: Valeria definitely resorted to mammoplasty and nose shape correction.
10. Scary Angelina Jolie
The top 10 most unusual people opens with 19-year-old Iranian Sahar Tabar. She was so captivated by the beautiful Angelina Jolie that she underwent 50 plastic surgeries to look like her idol. In addition, she went on a strict diet, and with a height of 150 cm, she weighs 40 kg. Alas, the result was frightening. Some even think that Sugar resembles a character from the cartoon "Corpse Bride".
Sahar later stated that all these photographs were the result of makeup and processing in a photo editor.
9. Boy with giant hands
This child, named Kaleim, suffers from a rare condition that causes his arms to continue to grow at a rapid rate. Each of them is already larger than the boy's head.
8. Little woman
Indian woman Jyoti Amji suffers from a disease known as achondroplasia, which limits her ability to grow. When she turned 18, the girl weighed 5.2 kg, and her height did not exceed 62.8 cm. She is.
7. Huge breasts
Masseuse Christy Love earns $1,300 a day massaging clients. The massage includes “kicking” the breasts and sliding them over the client’s oiled body. Each of Christie's breasts weighs 7.17 kg, and the woman's body weight is more than 140 kg.
6. Catwoman
Socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein decided to resort to plastic surgery to achieve maximum resemblance to the proud queen of animals. Having gone through countless surgeries, Wildenstein now looks like she can meow wildly before she says "hello." Today she is among the.
5. Half Ton Man
Patrick Deuel is also a man who was able to lose more than 300 kg of weight. At some point in Patrick’s life, his weight reached 510.75 kg, and in order to deliver such a colossus to the hospital, they had to break down the wall of the house.
After gastric bypass surgery, Deuel lost weight to 170 kg, then lost weight again to 254 kg and now his weight constantly fluctuates around 200 kg.
4. The fattest woman
British Susan Eman does not suffer from excess weight at all. She longs to become the fattest woman in the history of mankind, and her lover, a chef by profession, is ready to help Susan achieve her goal. She now weighs 343 kg and will soon compete with number five in the top 10 weirdest people.
3. Jessica Rabbit Live
A resident of Sweden, Pixie Fox, had six ribs removed and her lips and breasts pumped up with silicone to achieve maximum resemblance to the sexy Jessica from the animated film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” Now she eats only liquid food and constantly wears a support corset. But she is beautiful.
2. Tallest man
The height of the Turk Sultan Kösen is 251 cm. He. Having straightened up to his full height, his head almost touches the basketball hoop. Can you imagine the size of his feet?
1. The strongest of men
The Lithuanian giant Zydrunas Savickas took the concept of “strength” to a new level. He was able to squat 400 kilograms and lifted a weight of one thousand kilograms in powerlifting.
For obvious reasons, he is the strongest man alive in the world. Savickas can easily lift the fattest man or the fattest woman in the world.
Biographies of famous people are one of the most interesting and entertaining parts of world literature. Brief and detailed, documentary and fiction, they always find their audience.
In the USSR for many years, the series “The Lives of Remarkable People” was in particular demand, where in a popular form they told about the lives of those who had earned the right to be considered outstanding personalities - politicians, heroes of war and labor, scientists and artists.
However, times have changed, and attitudes towards former celebrities have changed. New idols and new values appeared. The readership has also changed significantly. There are truly talented works left on the shelves, written about strong characters who know how to achieve success not “thanks to”, but “in spite of”. In this article we have collected 10 of the most interesting biography books that are worth reading.
1. Thirst for life (I. Stone)
Paintings of blinding brightness, images of simple objects and faces that are unusual for the average person - all this is about the paintings of the “great madman,” the genius of the brush, Vincent van Gogh.
When starting to write, Stone did a lot of research, studying the life of the great painter. Trips to European countries, numerous meetings with the painter’s contemporaries, allowed the writer to collect a lot of documentary materials for the future romanticized biography of his hero. The author based the work on a three-volume correspondence between the brothers, Vincent and Theo van Gogh. The brother is the only true friend and ally in the painter’s life, his support and support. And no one else is around... Disorder, anxiety, oppressive poverty, a gradual descent into madness - and no ray of hope for happiness.
This biographical book is heavy, but light. This is a novel about creativity, about true talent, and the constant striving for light.
2. Of course you are joking, Mr. Feynman! (R. F. Feynman)
Among people of great science, it is rare to find scientists who have diverse talents that are completely far from research and experimentation. A remarkable representative of the “minority” is the Nobel laureate in physics, participant in the creation of the atomic bomb, Richard Philips Feynman. Passionate about playing the drums, a brilliant scientist, a virtuoso lecturer, and a charming conversationalist, Feynman shared oral memories for several years with his music-playing partner, Ralph Layton. The result of the conversation was a book addressed to the widest audience.
An easy style of presentation, brilliant self-irony, coupled with the talent of the narrator - the reader closes the last page with regret. This book is the first complete publication in Russian. Domestic readers could get acquainted with individual fragments in the 1980s, on the pages of the magazine “Science and Life”.
3. Autobiography (A. Christie)
Interest in the work of the “queen of detective stories” Agatha Christie (full name Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, née Miller) has not waned for many decades. Only once did she deviate from the main theme of her work - this is how one of the best books of biography was born. Agatha Christie's "Autobiography" contains many memories of happy childhood years, of working as a nurse during the war years, and of the ups and downs of her personal life. Gentle humor and stunning self-irony are presented in the restrained, truly English manner of a real lady of the Victorian era.
In addition to telling stories about events and incidents from life, the writer shares her thoughts on education and the relationship between children and parents. The statements are surprisingly modern and relevant.
“Autobiography” was written several years before the writer’s death. This is a kind of summing up, a look at your destiny from the top of what you have lived and experienced.
4. Origin (I. Stone)
The biography of the great English naturalist, author of the idea of the evolutionary development of mankind, Charles Robert Darwin cannot claim to be an exciting, emotionally rich read. The author managed to create a text in the style of Darwin the scientist, slowly presenting the biography of his hero. In a restrained, slightly dry manner, the evolution of the scientist, the change in his views, his entire path to the “Origin of Species” and the origin of himself are shown.
Fate had prepared for the naturalist a measured, quiet life in the silence of his office, surrounded by a loving family. The house, the furnishings, the way of life - every detail is described by Stone with a masterly knowledge of the era. Darwin the husband and father is presented to the reader in no less detail. The relationships between spouses, parents and children form a particularly moving part of the story.
5. My life, my achievements (H. Ford)
The middle of our ranking of the most interesting biography books is “My Life, My Achievements.” For young people looking for a worthy role model, acquaintance with the autobiographical book of the founding father of the most popular automobile concern, Henry Ford, will come in very handy. The simple title absolutely coincides with the subsequent style of presentation. An outstanding industrialist, inventor of assembly line car production, Ford talks about himself, shares his thoughts on production, and discusses issues that are important to every person. In the 17 chapters of the book, the reader is presented not only with a successful entrepreneur, the head of a huge corporation, but also with a thinking, reasonable person. His understanding of the essence of management, the role of a manager in production, and ideas for organizing successful work can still serve as a reference book for modern businessmen.
The ability to speak simply about complex concepts and processes makes the story an interesting, accessible read for the general reader.
6. Passions of the Mind, or the Life of Freud (I. Stone)
A biographical book about Sigmund Freud, a practicing physician and theoretician of an entire scientific trend in psychiatry, is another success of the brilliant biographer. Stone once again managed to completely immerse the reader in someone else’s life, and the “unauthorized invasion” brings him a lot of emotions and impressions.
The book contains no conjectures or lyrical digressions typical of works of art. The author uses only reliable facts about Freud's life that have a documentary basis. However, Stone's extensive knowledge of his hero, coupled with his talent as a storyteller, allows him to create a fascinating work.
The events of the scientist’s life are masterfully arranged into a unique mosaic: deeply personal events are organically intertwined with world history, close people “neighbor” with eminent figures of science, culture, and politics.
The narration is told in a simple, understandable style, so it is easy and quick to read.
7. Coco Chanel (A. Guidel)
It is difficult for a man to rise to the pinnacle of success and fame. But if a woman becomes famous and rich, this is not just success, it is a rare phenomenon worthy of endless respect and recognition, especially if this meant arguing with Fate.
Gabrielle Chanel (this is the real name of the future empress of haute couture) walked towards triumph consistently and persistently. She managed to show the world a new woman: businesslike, exquisitely elegant, chic.
This biographical book intricately intertwines a documentary narrative - year by year, without omitting anything, with an artistic style of presentation - small digressions, lively, colloquial language.
The reader does not get tired of the biography of the great couturier, although the text contains a huge number of dates, surnames, and titles. Henri Guidel managed to introduce readers closely to Mademoiselle Chanel - and this acquaintance turned out to be unforgettable.
8. Steve Jobs (W. Isaacson)
What is it like to become a living legend during your lifetime, the ruler of the minds of an entire generation? A multifaceted, versatile personality, one of the geniuses of the 20th century, the founder of the Macintosh, the inventor of the famous Green Apple - this is all about him, about the hero of Walter Isaacson’s book, the great Steve Jobs. He was the first to convince the world of the great future of complex computer technology. The scale and originality of his brilliant personality emerges gradually on the pages of the book, from the words of friends, colleagues, and relatives. Several impressions are added from Steve himself, interviews with him form a particularly interesting part of the story.
In terms of the depth of content and manner of presentation, the book's biography of Steve Jobs is much more impressive than fiction novels. The main character appears before the reader not as a “smoothed-out” ideal person, but as a complex, contradictory nature, not alien to ordinary human passions and weaknesses.
9. In the wild (D. Krakauer)
One day in Alaska, in an old half-rotted bus, local residents find the remains of a young guy. It is gradually determined that during his lifetime his name was Christopher Johnson McCandless, and the approximate time of death is established. Eyewitnesses are confused by the severe exhaustion of the deceased, bordering on a living skeleton. The mystery gives rise to numerous speculations and incredible versions.
A popular publication, in search of a sensation, instructs its employee, Jon Krakauer, to find an explanation for what happened. The journalist follows McCandless's trail. Diaries, fragmentary notes of the deceased, eyewitness accounts of the young man’s last campaign - documentary evidence is very organically woven into the artistic fabric of the biographical book “Into the Wild”. A fascinating, lively story about the strength of the human personality, incredible manifestations of character and courage leaves a very strong impression.
10. Tesla: Man from the Future (M. Cheney)
Completing our top 10 most interesting biographical books is Tesla: Man from the Future. The main character of the work, Nikola Tesla, is rightly considered one of the most mysterious figures of the 20th century. Who really was the elegant aristocrat with a tenacious, mocking gaze - a genius many years ahead of the time in which he lived, or a skillful manipulator who made people admire his stunning experiments? The life of the legendary personality is studied by the author painstakingly and comprehensively. The events of the biography are commented on, compared, versions of what is happening are presented - in general, the reader is presented with human fate, dissected under a literary microscope.
It cannot be said that the book was written for a large audience - the content is too overloaded with technical details, an abundance of names and titles. On some pages the reader literally has to overcome a slight dizziness from the richness of the text.
