Ten Crazy Geniuses

By Miss Cellania in Everything Else on Oct 3, 2009 at 5:58 pm

Among the scientists, inventors, engineers, and leaders who left their mark on the world are some who were mentally ill or even downright insane. The ten men in the list showed signs of paranoia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, crippling introversion, and other disorders. For example, you know Samuel Morse as the inventor of the telegraph and Morse Code, but there was more to him.

He was a little paranoid. He was determined that the Blacks, Jews, Catholics and the entire nation of Austria were working to destroy the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants of America. He wrote several books on the subject in which he talked about how the immigrants and lesser races were oppressing all the white people, how the Jews and Catholics were working together to kill Protestants, and how all of these groups met on a regular basis in the basement of an orphanage in Ireland. Oh, and Austria’s in there too somewhere.

Link -via Unique Daily

Tags: biography, History, inventors, Mental illness, scientists

Neat stuff from the NeatoShop:

wit of a twit
Oct 3rd, 2009 at 10:30 pm
That what happens when you fixate. Some of these guys had obsessive tendencies and might have suffered from Autism. It is these tendencies that have helped humanity move forward. Thats why i am a little concerned about movements to cure certain mental illnesses. I like to think of them a individuals who sit on the edges of the bell curve?
Jessus W/13
Oct 4th, 2009 at 1:12 am
… Ozymandias.
PacRim Jim
Oct 4th, 2009 at 1:21 am
In future, we’ll be able to switch our brain to crazy mode, so we can be creative for a while.
Skipweasel
Oct 4th, 2009 at 3:03 am
Maxwell was very definitely autistic. He couldn’t bear eye contact, would avoid talking directly to people – you had to just hover and hope he overheard a question you might have and pray he’d be sufficiently interested to answer it.

I’m with wit of a twit – “curing” all of what we perceive as mental dysfunction may well be a mistake.
mic jordan
Oct 4th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
This is the worst case of unsourced made-up racist nonsense since Rush Limbaugh’s last program. Shame on you neato for promulgating it.
FishBottleT
Oct 4th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Well the stories are pretty crazy. I would agree that Spike.com is probalbly not the best place to get factual information. I would like to see some documentation before I would belive it. But then again who cares if it is true or not. Cool stories either way…i mean a drunk moose?
Gauldar
Oct 5th, 2009 at 9:49 am
@wit of a twit

Sure, I can see where you’re coming from, but many of these individuals lived self-destructive lifestyles because they did not have the coping mechanisms to help them live healthy lifestyles. I think your ignoring that aspect of suffering in these peoples’ lives, even if society as a whole benefits some way through invested technology of someone who was really good at thinking outside of the box (or even know where the box is for that matter).
Gauldar
Oct 5th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Was Samuel Morse really crazy, or was he just more along the lines of a conspiracy theorist like that Glenn Beck guy?

Keep track of the comments with

Don't Miss: New Stuff | Bestsellers | The Cute Store
Funny T-Shirts

Need a gift? Get unforgettable gifts for:
Geeks | Pranksters | Kids | Hipsters | Shutterbugs

The latest from NeatoBambino: