A Beautiful Mind Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BKV1SxfmeYQ
John Nash
Nobel Peace Prize in
Math
1928
What he did:
His math theories are used in
economics, biology,
accounting, politics, and
military theory.
what's so crazy about him?
The movie, A Beautiful Mind, is loosely based on Nash’s struggle with
paranoid schizophrenia.
He suffered from extreme paranoia (thought all men in red ties were
communist conspirers), heard voices, and spoke in different characters.
Placed into a mental hospital against his will and “faked sanity” to be
released.
A Beautiful Mind
Schizophrenia Examples
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqj1DhUKJco
Tycho Brahe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BVsIh_EMmDk
Tycho Brahe
Danish Astronomer
1546-1601
What he did:
Tycho Brahe catalogued the motion of every
star and planet which helped to create the
laws of planetary motion.
He is considered to have been essential in
setting the stage of the scientific revolution.
what's so crazy about him?
When he was 20 he got into a duel with a man in a pitch black room and
lost his nose in the process.
He was known for employing a dwarf named Jepp who Brahe thought
was psychic. Jepp's full-time job consisted of wearing a jester's outfit,
sitting under the table at dinner.
He also had a pet moose that would attend his parties.
Pythagoras
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_Y2t8QOOf4&feature=player_embedded
Pythagoras
Greek Mathematician
575 -500 B.C.
What he did:
Yes, this is the guy who came up with the
Pythagorean theorem we all learned in school.
Pythagoras was the first high-profile teacher to insist
that natural phenomena could be explained
mathematically. This paved the way for the study of
physics.
what's so crazy about him?
Pythagoras created his own religion with commandments like:
-do not, under any circumstance eat beans
-smooth out any indents that your body makes on a pillow or bed
-do not step over a crossbar
His work with math only involved whole numbers because decimals didn’t exist.
When a guy named Hippasus discovered Pythagoras’ theories didn’t always work,
Pythagoras had people kidnap and kill him.
Pythagoras was allegedly killed by an angry mob. The story says that he came
upon a field of beans and chose to let the mob kill him instead of going through
the bean field.
Lord Byron Video Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65w39W09Rs4
Lord Byron
English Poet
1788-1824
What he did:
Lord Byron published his first poetic work at
14.
Best known for his poem “Don Juan.”
what's so crazy about him?
When Byron arrived at Cambridge he was ordered to send his dog back
home because having one was against school rules. Desperate for a pet,
Byron searched policies for an animal not forbidden and found no
reference to bears. The bear stayed in Byron’s dorm room. He walked the
bear on a leash through campus, terrifying students and professors, and
even tried to get his pet a fellowship.
Later in life friends reported that his home contained:
-10 horses
-3 monkeys
-5 cats
-an eagle
-8 dogs
-a falcon
-5 peacocks
-2 hen
-a crow
-a crane
He also like to play war admiral. He constructed two forts on the edge of
his lake with a fleet of toy ships. He would spends days directing and even
had his servant sit in a small boat and play along with him.
Michelangelo Video Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jmsth_9KouM
Michelangelo Buonarroti
Italian Renaissance Painter
1475-1564
What he did:
Best known for his painting on the
Sistine Chapel, sculpture (the Statue of
David), and architecture (St. Peter’s
Basilica).
what's so crazy about him?
He very rarely bathed or changed clothes, and would even sleep
in his shoes.
Michelangelo hated speaking to others and would end
conversations by walking away in the middle of them.
These habits made him unpopular and kept any students from
following him.
Nikola Tesla Video Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iEJNJ0rFSe8
Nikola Tesla
Physicist & Engineer
1856-1943
What he did:
Played a major part in harnessing the
power of electricity.
Worked with Thomas Edison.
what's so crazy about him?
Afraid of: anything round, which made his job as an
engineer tricky
Hated: human hair, jewelry, and germs
Claimed: to have built a “death ray” and to be in
communication with other planets
Obsession: the number three – before entering a building,
he would walk around the block 3 times, insisted on hotel
rooms divisible by 3, and at meals would use 18 napkins (3
stacks of 6)
Vincent van Gogh Video Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qXpE_X2hOD0
Vincent van Gogh
Artist
1853-1890
What he did:
Produced more than 2,100 pieces of art:
-860 oil paintings
-1,300 watercolors, drawings, sketches
and prints
Most famous work: The Starry Night
what's so crazy about him?
-Most commonly known fact: he cut off his left ear
-Fell in love with his cousin, who didn’t feel the same
-His temper caused many scenes causing him to be banned
from many places.
-Spent a year in an insane asylum
-Killed himself at 37.
Isaac Newton Video Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TpeHIavPKx4
Isaac Newton
Scientist
1642-1726
What he did:
Considered by many to be the
greatest scientist who ever lived.
-Universal gravitation
-3 Laws of Motion
what's so crazy about him?
-Was intensely suspicious and distrustful
-Suffered from insomnia and paranoia
-Tried unsuccessfully to find hidden messages within the
bible
Name:
Contribution:
Crazy Fact:
Geniuses who went CRAZY
Name: ________________
1)
2)
3)
4)
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By: Not Just for Elementary