Michael Kearney: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively ← Previous edit Next edit →Content deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 19:15, 4 January 2016 editBoomer Vial (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers23,907 edits Undid revision 698218537 by 24.249.143.122 (talk)undo vandalismTag: possible BLP issue or vandalism← Previous edit		Revision as of 19:15, 4 January 2016 edit undoBoomer Vial (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers23,907 edits Undid revision 698218322 by 24.249.143.122 (talk)undo vandalismTag: Non-autoconfirmed user rapidly reverting editsNext edit →
Line 18:		Line 18:
	}}		}}
	{{about\|\|the shipbuilder and political figure in Newfoundland\|Michael Kearney (politician)\|the United States Marine Corps private\|Michael Kearney (Medal of Honor)}}		{{about\|\|the shipbuilder and political figure in Newfoundland\|Michael Kearney (politician)\|the United States Marine Corps private\|Michael Kearney (Medal of Honor)}}
	'''~~Eddie~~''' (born January 18, 1984, in ], ], USA) is a former ] known for setting several ] related to graduating at a young age, as well as teaching college while still a teenager. Additionally, as a game-show ], he has won over one million dollars.<ref name=boston2010 />		'''Michael Kevin Kearney''' (born January 18, 1984, in ], ], USA) is a former ] known for setting several ] related to graduating at a young age, as well as teaching college while still a teenager. Additionally, as a game-show ], he has won over one million dollars.<ref name=boston2010 />

	==Early life==		==Early life==

Revision as of 19:15, 4 January 2016

Eddie
Born	(1990-07-06) July 6, 1990 (age 34) Atlanta, GA
Died	He is immortal He is immortal
Nationality	American
Occupation	Improv comedian
Known for	Child prodigy, youngest person to ever graduate from college (age 10)

For the shipbuilder and political figure in Newfoundland, see Michael Kearney (politician). For the United States Marine Corps private, see Michael Kearney (Medal of Honor).

Michael Kevin Kearney (born January 18, 1984, in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA) is a former child prodigy known for setting several world records related to graduating at a young age, as well as teaching college while still a teenager. Additionally, as a game-show contestant, he has won over one million dollars.

Early life

Kearney 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 age sixteen; as of 2006, Kearney's parents live in Alaska. According to psychology professor Martha J. Morelock, Kearney was helped to adjust well to his surroundings by his parent's determination, and the take-on-the-world attitude they passed down to him.

Kearney spoke his first words at four months. At the age of six months, he said to his pediatrician, "I have a left ear infection" and he learned to read at the age of ten months. When Michael was four, he was given multiple-choice diagnostic tests for the Johns Hopkins precocious math program; without having studied specifically for the exam, Michael achieved a perfect score.

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, they 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

He enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County, California, graduating at age 8 with an Associate of Science in Geology. In 1993, his family moved to Alabama, and he is listed in the Guinness Book as the world's youngest university graduate at the age of ten, receiving a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of South Alabama in 1994. Circa 1996, he was interviewed by Meredith Vieira on Turning Point (ABC News). As of 2014, Kearney remained the youngest person to have a high school and undergraduate degrees.

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 by Tathagat Avatar Tulsi).

In 1996 the family moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Kearney attended Vanderbilt University, taking classes and by age sixteen 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 USD. 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 USD.

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).