At any age, children can be surprised with their talents. However, if it comes to the most outstanding children in history, perhaps Christian Friedrich Heineken must be mentioned , the boy has been dubbed ” the professor of Lubeck “ since the age of 4.
Christian Friedrich Heineken was born on February 6, 1721 in the city of Lubeck, northern Germany. The boy only lived to be more than 4 years old but was recorded in history as one of the most intelligent children in the world to be born. Anecdotes recount that Christian once met the king of Denmark and is fluent in many different languages, according to Earth-chronicles.
If Christian takes an IQ test, his score can exceed 200. Like a sponge, Christian absorbs knowledge from all different fields, not limited by any topic. or any field.
Christian is rumored to have been able to speak in full sentences from the age of 10 months. The boy repeated the exact words of his parents. Christian’s father, Paul Heineken, is an artist, architect, and art shop owner, and Christian’s mother, Katarina Elizabeth, is an alchemist.
Another person who has contributed greatly to helping Christian reach out to the world is nanny Sophie Hildebrant. Once Hildebrant took the child around the house, to the pictures and introduced: “This is a horse”, “This is a lighted tower, they call it a lighthouse”, “This is a lighthouse.” is a boat that can float on the sea. Now I’ll point and you repeat what they are.” Suddenly, without hesitation, Christian repeats exactly what the boy has just been taught.
Christian Friedrich Heineken in a painting by his mother. (Image: Wikipedia).
At the age of two, Christian was not only able to fluently retell historical details from the Bible, but also to cite parts accurately if they were mentioned. At the age of three, the boy added to his knowledge of history and geography, learned Latin and French, and learned about mathematics and biology. At the age of four, Christian began to study Church history and religion.
The boy seemed to know everything in the world. The good news about Christian quickly spread. So, the students at Lubeck were not surprised when one day, the boy stood on the podium and taught them.
Among those listening was Johann Heinrich von Seelen, principal of Lubeck High School. On January 2, 1724, Seelen had the opportunity to witness the child prodigy’s “encyclopedia” of knowledge.
Christian begins with a biographical analysis of Roman and German emperors from Caesar, Augustus to Constantine, Ptolemy and Charlemagne. Then he moved on to the kings of Israel and then to the geography of Germany. Finally, Christian ended his talk with a story about the human bone structure. All of the above information is linked together by some logical chain, although they are in completely different fields. “The audience was enchanted, all gaping,” Seelen wrote in his diary.
In addition to his breadth of knowledge, Christian also displays an aptitude for literature and the arts. Composer from Hamburg Georg Philipp Telemann came to meet and gave many compliments to “the young professor of Lubeck”.
“Really, if I were a pagan, I would get down on my knees and bow my head to this boy,” Telemann said at the time. “The boy is truly our treasure.”
At the age of three, Christian asked his parents to take him to King Frederick of Denmark to deliver detailed maritime maps he insisted he could draw himself. However, Christian’s mother advised him not to go because he could not hold the pen for long. Christian reassured his mother that “The king is a benevolent man, he will give you the strength to draw maps across the sea”.
Knowing about Christian, King Frederick IV of Denmark felt very curious and wanted to meet the child prodigy. He did not believe that a child over three years old could speak fluently in four languages. Christian is taken to Copenhagen. The boy gave the king and the council some thorough lectures on Danish history and immediately adopted the nickname Mirakulum, which means “Miracle” in Latin.
With wisdom and wisdom second to none, Christian promises to become a great man in history. But the boy’s life ended too soon. After returning from Denmark, Christian’s health began to deteriorate rapidly. The doctors noticed that his body was getting weaker and weaker. He suffered from constant headaches and joint pain, insomnia, and anorexia. His face was swollen from allergies.
Christian’s digestive system can’t digest anything that contains flour. One day, while undergoing herbal treatment, Christian said, “My life is like smoke.” Then he sang about 200 hymns.
Christian died on June 27, 1725. Scientists later determined that Christian had Celiac syndrome , an autoimmune disease of the gastrointestinal tract, caused by an over-sensitivity to gluten or gluten intolerance. Before he died, the boy’s last words were: “Please, God, take my soul”.