Marilyn vos Savant is an American magazine columnist who holds the record for the highest intelligence quotient (IQ) ever measured.

Born Marilyn Mach in 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri, she comes from a humble background – her grandparents were coal miners and her parents were immigrants from Germany and Italy.

As a child prodigy, Savant excelled in science and math. At age 10, she took the Stanford-Binet intelligence test, which showed she had the mental age of a 22-year-old. This resulted in an IQ score of 228, far exceeding the estimated IQs of renowned figures like Albert Einstein and William James Sidis.

Savant’s exceptional intelligence was officially recognized when she was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records under “Highest IQ” from 1985 to 1989.

However, the category was later retired as IQ tests were deemed too unreliable to designate a single record holder.

Despite her remarkable intellect, Savant’s upbringing was relatively ordinary. Her parents treated her like any other child and did not focus on nurturing her talents.

Savant says she was overlooked as a girl, and it wasn’t until her Guinness listing that she gained widespread attention.

Savant went on to pursue a career in writing, becoming a columnist for Parade magazine’s “Ask Marilyn” column, where she solves puzzles and answers questions on various subjects.

She has also served on the boards of several educational and scientific organizations.

While Savant’s IQ score is undoubtedly impressive, she believes that intelligence encompasses many factors and that attempts to measure it are “useless.”

She has maintained memberships in high-IQ societies like Mensa International and the Mega Society, but ultimately sees her intelligence as just one aspect of her multifaceted identity.