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{{short description|American child prodigy (born 1984)}} | |||
{{other uses}} | |||
{{Multiple issues| | |||
{{BLP sources|date=August 2021}} | |||
{{Disputed|date=November 2021}} | |||
⚫ | }} | ||
{{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| name = |
| name = Michael Kearney | ||
| image = <!-- just the filename, without the File: or Image: prefix or enclosing ] --> | | image = <!-- just the filename, without the File: or Image: prefix or enclosing ] --> | ||
| alt = | | alt = | ||
| caption = | | caption = Michael Kearney | ||
| birth_name |
| birth_name = Michael Kevin Kearney | ||
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age| |
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|01|18}} | ||
| birth_place = ] | | birth_place = ], ], U.S. | ||
| death_date = |
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age |2008|DD}} --> | ||
| death_place |
| death_place = | ||
| nationality = |
| nationality = | ||
| other_names = | | other_names = | ||
| occupation = | |||
| occupation = Improv comedian<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nashvilleimprov.com/cast.html|publisher=nashvilleimprov.com|accessdate=November 27, 2015|title=The Cast of the Nashville Improv Company|date=2015}}</ref> | |||
| years_active = | | years_active = | ||
| known_for = ], youngest person |
| known_for = ], the youngest person ever to graduate from college (age 10 years) | ||
| notable_works |
| notable_works = | ||
}} | }} | ||
⚫ | '''Michael Kevin Kearney''' (born January 18, 1984) is an American college teaching assistant and game show contestant. He is known for setting several ] related to graduating at a young age, as well as teaching college students while still a teenager. Additionally, as a game-show contestant, he has won over one million dollars.<ref name=boston2010 /> | ||
{{about||the shipbuilder and political figure in Newfoundland|Michael Kearney (politician)|the United States Marine Corps private|Michael Kearney (Medal of Honor)}} | |||
⚫ | '''Michael |
||
==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
Michael was ]<ref name=boston2010 /> by his mother and father, especially his mother, a ].<ref name=LATimes-95>{{cite news|last=Kahlenberg|first=Richard|title=The Smart Money Is on This Young Genius|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-15-me-20637-story.html|access-date=November 2, 2015|newspaper=]|date=January 15, 1995}}</ref> He was diagnosed with ], but his parents declined to use the offered prescription of ]. His younger sister, Maeghan, is also a child prodigy<ref> - {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051113220123/http://www.mtsu.edu/~proffice/Record/Rec_v10/rec1021/body.html#Maeghan |date=November 13, 2005 }}</ref> and graduated from college<ref name=NYT/> at the age of sixteen. According to psychology professor,{{clarify|date=June 2024}} Kearney was helped to adjust well to his surroundings by his parents' determination, and the "take-on-the-world" attitude they passed down to him.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/12/science/the-uneasy-fit-of-the-precocious-and-the-average.html|work=]|date=March 12, 2002|title=The uneasy fit of the precocious and the average|author=Goode, Erica}}</ref> | |||
⚫ | Kearney attended ] in ], for one year, graduating at the age of six in 1990.<ref name=boston2010 /><ref name=AP>{{cite news|last=Burkdoll|first=Amy|title=Latest accomplishment: 14-year-old genius gets his master's degree|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ujsdAAAAIBAJ&pg=2251,1464393|accessdate=13 March 2011|newspaper=Tuscaloosa News (AP)|date=August 8, 1998}}</ref> In 1994, Kearney and his parents were on '']''.<ref name=abc2006 /><ref>{{IMDb title|2145377|The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Season 3, Episode 100|– June 7, 1994}}</ref> | ||
Kearney spoke his first words at four months.<ref name="AG" /> At the age of six months, he said to his pediatrician, "I have a left ear infection"<ref name = "AG">{{cite book | title = Accidental Genius | last = Kearney | first = K.J. and C.Y. | publisher = Woodshed Press | year = 1998 |isbn=0-9628746-1-2 }} p. 24</ref> and he learned to read at the age of ten months.<ref name="AG" /> When Michael was four, he was given multiple-choice diagnostic tests for the ] precocious math program; without having studied specifically for the exam, Michael achieved a perfect score.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.teachthought.com/interest/the-10-youngest-college-students-of-all-time/|title=The 10 youngest college students of all time|date=August 24, 2012|author=Heick, Terry|publisher=teachthought.com}}</ref> | |||
⚫ | Kearney attended ] in ], for one year, graduating at the age of six in 1990.<ref name=boston2010 /><ref name=AP>{{cite news|last=Burkdoll|first=Amy|title=Latest accomplishment: 14-year-old genius gets his master's degree|url= |
||
==College education== | ==College education== | ||
{{ |
{{Blockquote|"Most people get into school when they're 6, and they get out of school around 22, 23.... I just happened to be in college that entire time." —Kearney, age ~22<ref name=abc2006 />}} | ||
Kearney graduated from high school at 6 and went to ] in ], where he obtained an ] in ] at age 8.<ref name=AP/><!-- they only offer four courses in geology, how does that work? ANSWER: AN A.S. IS A TWO-YEAR DEGREE WITH ONLY LOWER DIVISION COURSE--> In 1993, his family moved to Alabama.<ref name="whiz">{{cite news |author=Payne, Paul |date=August 11, 2003 |title=Whiz kid gets a lesson in life |work=]}}</ref> Circa 1996,<!--WP:CALC--> he was interviewed by ] on '']'' (]).<ref name=abc2006 />{{better source|reason= if somebody can locate the actual URL of the TurningPoint interview with Vieira, that would be helpful... this ref just mentions the Vieira piece happened per WP:V but has few details about the contents of the 1990s piece|date=September 2015}} As of 2019, Kearney remained the youngest person to have a high-school diploma and undergraduate degrees.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sorto |first1=Gabrielle |last2=Staff |first2=A. O. L. |title=9-year-old prodigy dropped out of college after learning he wouldn't graduate before he turned 10 |url=https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/12/11/9-year-old-prodigy-dropped-out-of-college-after-learning-he-wouldnt-graduate-before-he-turned-10/23879133/ |accessdate=13 December 2019 |work=AOL.com |date=11 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
At the age of 8 he enrolled at ], where he received in 1994 a ] in ] and is listed in the ] as the world's youngest university graduate at the age of ten.<ref name=boston2010 /><ref name=LATimes-95/><ref name=NYT/><ref name=AP/> At the age of 14 he obtained a master's degree in chemistry at ]. At age 18 he obtained his master's degree in computer science at ]. | |||
===Research and teaching=== | ===Research and teaching=== | ||
Kearney graduated from ] with a ] in ] at the age of fourteen.<ref name=bizjournals2006 /> |
Kearney graduated from ] with a ] in ] at the age of fourteen.<ref name=bizjournals2006 /> His 118-page ] was entitled "] ] Effects of ] ]";<ref>under Professor Paul C. Kline, http://www.mtsu.edu/programs/forensic-science/#t-4</ref> the research focused on the kinetics of a ] involved in ]. At the time, Kearney was the world's youngest ] (the master's degree record was since broken in 1999 by ]). | ||
In 1996 the family moved to ],<ref name=whiz/> and Kearney attended ], taking classes and by age |
In 1996, the family moved to ],<ref name=whiz/> and Kearney attended ], taking classes and, by age fourteen,<ref name=huffpo2010 /> teaching as well (he was not yet ]).<ref name=boston2010>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/community/moms/articles/2010/03/13/mind_games_when_ambitious_parents_exploit_their_gifted_children/|title=Mindgames|work=boston.com|date=March 13, 2010|author=Kahn, Joseph P.|accessdate=November 2, 2015}}</ref> Kearney received his second ], this one from ], at age seventeen<ref name=huffpo2010>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/02/child-prodigies-the-young_n_523514.html#slide=77149 |title = Child Prodigies: The YOUNGEST College Graduates (PHOTOS) {{!}} HuffPost Communities| website=] | date=2 June 2010 }}</ref> or eighteen,<ref name=bizjournals2006 /> in ]. Kearney received his ] in chemistry at age 22,<ref name=huffpo2010 /> having returned to ] as a ] (also in chemistry).<ref name=abc2006 /><ref name="bizjournals2006"/> | ||
==Involvement with game shows== | ==Involvement with game shows== | ||
When young,{{vague|date=September 2015}} Kearney attempted a career as a game-show host; he and his parents moved{{when|date=September 2015}} to Hollywood, to shoot a ], but the proposed game-show was not ].<ref name=boston2010 /><ref name=abc2006>{{cite news|url= |
When young,{{vague|date=September 2015}} Kearney attempted a career as a game-show host; he and his parents moved{{when|date=September 2015}} to Hollywood, to shoot a ], but the proposed game-show was not ].<ref name=boston2010 /><ref name=abc2006>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1303853 |date=2005|work=ABC News|title=What Are Child Geniuses Like As Adults?}}</ref> | ||
In October 2006, Kearney became a finalist on the trivia-and-puzzle game '']'', winning $100,000 |
In October 2006, Kearney became a finalist on the trivia-and-puzzle game '']'', winning $100,000. In November 2006, in front of a national audience on '']'', he went on to win the grand prize of an additional $1 million.<ref name=bizjournals2006>{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2006/11/06/daily31.html|work=]|date=November 10, 2006|accessdate=November 2, 2015|title=Nashville resident wins AOL's Gold Rush}}</ref><ref name="Pittsburgh">{{cite news |author=Rotstein, Gary |date=June 2, 2008 |title=The mayor of Muskogee is 19 |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Gold Rush winner close to being rocket scientist |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1161101241.html |access-date=6 July 2021 |work=Winnipeg Free Press |date=November 11, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417220742/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1161101241.html |archive-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref> | ||
Kearney was a contestant on '']'' which aired on April 25 & 28, 2008, winning<ref name=huffpo2010 /> twenty-five thousand dollars. He was also a contestant on '']'' which aired on June 14, 2009, but he did not pass the elimination round (losing the ]). | Kearney was a contestant on '']'' which aired on April 25 & 28, 2008, winning<ref name=huffpo2010 /> twenty-five thousand dollars. He was also a contestant on '']'' which aired on June 14, 2009, but he did not pass the elimination round (losing the ]). | ||
== |
==Life after education== | ||
In 2018, he was working for an ] group in Nashville.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kazek |first1=Kelly |title=At 10, World's Youngest College Grad earned degree in AL |url=https://www.al.com/living/2018/05/at_age_10_worlds_youngest_coll.html |work=al |date=29 May 2018 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
* High school diploma from ], 1990 (age 6)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wonderfulinfo.net/michael-kearney-holder-several-guinness-world-records/|publisher=wonderfulinfo.net|date=December 22, 2014|title=Michael Kearney – Holder of several Guinness world records}}</ref> | |||
* Associate Degree from ] (age 8)<ref name=whiz>{{cite news|title=Whiz kid gets a lesson in life|date=August 11, 2003|work=]|author=Payne, Paul}}</ref> | |||
* Anthropology degree from ], 1994 (age 10)<ref name=NYT/><ref name=Pittsburgh>{{cite news|title=The mayor of Muskogee is 19|date=June 2, 2008|author=Rotstein, Gary|work=]}}</ref> | |||
* Guinness World Record for world's youngest college graduate (age 10)<ref name=LATimes-95/> | |||
* Master's degree in chemistry, ] (age 14) | |||
* Master's degree in computer science, ] (age 18) | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist |
{{Reflist}} | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
<!-- Kearney himself does not appear to have an official homepage |
<!-- Kearney himself does not appear to have an official homepage, on facebook/twitter/linkedin/etc , nor on any university website as of 2015; this is plausibly intentional, in a 2006 interview Kearney stated his goal at the time was to lead a "normal life" after obtaining his doctorate and winning the million dollars. --> | ||
* |
*{{cite web |url=http://members.tripod.com/~Accidental_Genius |title=Michael Kearney, Maeghan Kearney, accidental genius, boy genius, prodigy, wunderkind, polymath, gifted education, genius children, youngest college graduate, Guinness World Records|author=Kevin and Kassidy Kearney|website=tripod.com |language=English|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117012516/https://members.tripod.com/~Accidental_Genius/ |archive-date=17 Nov 2023}} | ||
* {{ |
* {{IMDb name|3251307}} | ||
{{Authority control}} | {{Authority control}} | ||
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. --> | |||
| NAME = Kearney, Michael | |||
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | |||
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American academic | |||
| DATE OF BIRTH = January 18, 1984 | |||
| PLACE OF BIRTH = | |||
| DATE OF DEATH = | |||
| PLACE OF DEATH = | |||
⚫ | }} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearney, Michael}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Kearney, Michael}} | ||
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] | ] | ||
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Latest revision as of 21:29, 19 November 2024
American child prodigy (born 1984) For other uses, see Michael Kearney (disambiguation).This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Michael Kearney | |
---|---|
Born | Michael Kevin Kearney (1984-01-18) January 18, 1984 (age 40) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
Known for | Child prodigy, the youngest person ever to graduate from college (age 10 years) |
Michael Kevin Kearney (born January 18, 1984) is an American college teaching assistant and game show contestant. He is known for setting several world records related to graduating at a young age, as well as teaching college students while still a teenager. Additionally, as a game-show contestant, he has won over one million dollars.
Early life
Michael was homeschooled by his mother and father, especially his mother, a Japanese American. He was diagnosed with ADHD, but his parents declined to use the offered prescription of Ritalin. His younger sister, Maeghan, is also a child prodigy and graduated from college at the age of sixteen. According to psychology professor, Kearney was helped to adjust well to his surroundings by his parents' determination, and the "take-on-the-world" attitude they passed down to him.
Kearney attended San Marin High School in Novato, California, for one year, graduating at the age of six in 1990. In 1994, Kearney and his parents were on The Tonight Show.
College education
"Most people get into school when they're 6, and they get out of school around 22, 23.... I just happened to be in college that entire time." —Kearney, age ~22
Kearney graduated from high school at 6 and went to Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County, California, where he obtained an Associate of Science in Geology at age 8. In 1993, his family moved to Alabama. Circa 1996, he was interviewed by Meredith Vieira on Turning Point (ABC News). As of 2019, Kearney remained the youngest person to have a high-school diploma and undergraduate degrees.
At the age of 8 he enrolled at The University of South Alabama, where he received in 1994 a bachelor's degree in anthropology and is listed in the Guinness Book as the world's youngest university graduate at the age of ten. At the age of 14 he obtained a master's degree in chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University. At age 18 he obtained his master's degree in computer science at Vanderbilt University.
Research and teaching
Kearney graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a master's degree in biochemistry at the age of fourteen. His 118-page thesis was entitled "Kinetic Isotope Effects of Thymidine Phosphorylase"; the research focused on the kinetics of a glycosyltransferase involved in nucleotide synthesis. At the time, Kearney was the world's youngest postgraduate (the master's degree record was since broken in 1999 by Tathagat Avatar Tulsi).
In 1996, the family moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Kearney attended Vanderbilt University, taking classes and, by age fourteen, teaching as well (he was not yet legally able to drive). Kearney received his second master's degree, this one from Vanderbilt University, at age seventeen or eighteen, in computer science. Kearney received his doctorate in chemistry at age 22, having returned to Middle Tennessee State University as a teaching assistant (also in chemistry).
Involvement with game shows
When young, Kearney attempted a career as a game-show host; he and his parents moved to Hollywood, to shoot a pilot episode, but the proposed game-show was not picked up.
In October 2006, Kearney became a finalist on the trivia-and-puzzle game Gold Rush, winning $100,000. In November 2006, in front of a national audience on Entertainment Tonight, he went on to win the grand prize of an additional $1 million.
Kearney was a contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? which aired on April 25 & 28, 2008, winning twenty-five thousand dollars. He was also a contestant on Million Dollar Password which aired on June 14, 2009, but he did not pass the elimination round (losing the tiebreaker).
Life after education
In 2018, he was working for an improv theater group in Nashville.
See also
References
- ^ Kahn, Joseph P. (March 13, 2010). "Mindgames". boston.com. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ^ Kahlenberg, Richard (January 15, 1995). "The Smart Money Is on This Young Genius". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- Middle Tennessee State University, "The Record": "Veterinarian-to-be, age 9, set to receive her 'sheepskin' May 11", 2002 - Archived November 13, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Goode, Erica (March 12, 2002). "The uneasy fit of the precocious and the average". The New York Times.
- ^ Burkdoll, Amy (August 8, 1998). "Latest accomplishment: 14-year-old genius gets his master's degree". Tuscaloosa News (AP). Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ "What Are Child Geniuses Like As Adults?". ABC News. 2005.
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Season 3, Episode 100 – June 7, 1994 at IMDb
- ^ Payne, Paul (August 11, 2003). "Whiz kid gets a lesson in life". Press Democrat.
- Sorto, Gabrielle; Staff, A. O. L. (11 December 2019). "9-year-old prodigy dropped out of college after learning he wouldn't graduate before he turned 10". AOL.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Nashville resident wins AOL's Gold Rush". Nashville Business Journal. November 10, 2006. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- under Professor Paul C. Kline, http://www.mtsu.edu/programs/forensic-science/#t-4
- ^ "Child Prodigies: The YOUNGEST College Graduates (PHOTOS) | HuffPost Communities". HuffPost. 2 June 2010.
- Rotstein, Gary (June 2, 2008). "The mayor of Muskogee is 19". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- "Gold Rush winner close to being rocket scientist". Winnipeg Free Press. November 11, 2006. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- Kazek, Kelly (29 May 2018). "At 10, World's Youngest College Grad earned degree in AL". al.
External links
- Kevin and Kassidy Kearney. "Michael Kearney, Maeghan Kearney, accidental genius, boy genius, prodigy, wunderkind, polymath, gifted education, genius children, youngest college graduate, Guinness World Records". tripod.com. Archived from the original on 17 Nov 2023.
- American educators of Japanese descent
- 1984 births
- Living people
- University of South Alabama alumni
- Middle Tennessee State University alumni
- Vanderbilt University faculty
- Vanderbilt University alumni
- Santa Rosa Junior College alumni
- San Marin High School alumni
- People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder