Irene Newmaker
Irene Newmaker ( * 05. July 1971 in Speyer ) was a student renowned for her high intelligence and Photographic Memory. She is best known for being the youngest person to graduate highschool in Germany.
Family and Life
Irene was born the youngest of three children, having an older brother and an older sister[1]. Her parents were middle class, his mother a housewife and her father a university professor[2].
Her first computer was a Xerox Alto when she was four years old[1]. She could write working programms quickly and learn new programming languages within less than a couple of hours.
Growing up, Irene was routinely brought to hospitals where her Photographic Memory and high intelligence was tested with a series of then new, now deemed unethical, experiments such as the DAFL-Test[3].
Achievements
Her skills were not encouraged until in 1977 she entered and won a programming competition. The fact that she was so young and a girl made International headlines.
Irene continued to participate yearly in regional and national programming competitions and championships, winning each one.
1977: Can YOU Write A Programm? [WON]1978: Speyer Programming Festival [WON]
1979: Student Engineering Competition Rhineland Palatinate [WON]
1980: National Informatics Championship [WON]
1981: National Informatics Championship [WON]
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1981 National Informatics Championship Incident
After finishing her programm, Irene suffered a nervous breakdown at only 10 years old. Following this incident she would never participate in another
programming or engineering related competition and left the spotlight.
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Other Achievements include Youngest Person to Graduate Highschool in Germany and Highest IQ in Children under 15 (182).
Disappearance
After graduating Highschool, she enrolled at University to study engineering, however shortly before finishing her doctorate, all reports on her continued groudbreaking achievements ceased. It has never been confirmed wether or not she finished her doctorate or if she is even alive anymore.
Most people assume she left the country[3] after the pressue became too much. Today she would be 44 Years old.
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References