Latest news with #JosephHarrisBirtill
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
2-Year-Old Boy with ‘Formidable Intellect' Becomes the Youngest-Ever Member of Mensa
A 2-year-old U.K. boy just became the youngest person ever to be accepted into Mensa The toddler, named Joseph Harris-Birtill, said his first word at seven months and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at 21 months Joseph knows the Greek alphabet and is currently learning Morse codeA toddler from England just became the youngest person ever to be accepted into Mensa. Joseph Harris-Birtill, who was born on Nov. 23, 2021, was admitted into the organization — which accepts people with IQs in the top 2% of the general population — at 2 years and 182 days old, per Guinness World Record. His parents, Dr. Rose Harris-Birtill and Dr. David Harris-Birtill, who are both lecturers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, told Guinness that Joseph began showing signs of being advanced for his age quite early on. 'It soon became clear that he was an exceptional little being,' Rose told the outlet. 'He first rolled over at five weeks, said his first word at seven months and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at [21 months].' 'By 2-and-a-quarter years old, he was reading out loud fluently for 10 minutes at a time, could count to 10 in five languages and could count forwards and backwards to well over 100,' she continued. Rose told Guinness that Joseph knows the Greek alphabet and is currently learning Morse code. He also has recently become interested in the periodic table. 'His interests are vast and varied, and he is always keen to learn more,' the proud mom explained. Rose said that Joseph, who is 'very kind and loving, confident and curious,' doesn't yet seem to know that he is more advanced than his peers, and noted that he loves giving hugs and sharing his toys with other kids. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. She added, 'He loves a challenge and is really exhilarated by complexity, whether learning chess or poring over new words and concepts that he hasn't come across before.' Joseph's parents told Guinness that they initially reached out to Mensa in an attempt to find guidance on raising a highly-abled child. 'I searched online for any further support available, and saw that Mensa offers resources and membership for highly able children,' she explained. Rose added, 'It is a common misconception that everything is super easy for gifted children. But everyone needs appropriate stimulation and understanding throughout their lives, and highly able learners can sadly have their unique talents dimmed by the pressure to fit into environments that simply haven't been properly designed for them." She noted that while Joseph is 'fortunate enough to attend a brilliant nursery [school],' she and her husband hope that Mensa will provide their son with 'a community of peers as a source of further support as his formidable intellect continues to grow and develop.' The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! The second-youngest member of Mensa is currently Isla McNabb of Kentucky, who was 2 years and 195 days old when she joined. Read the original article on People
CBS News
28-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Mensa welcomes youngest-ever member, Joseph Harris-Birtill, a toddler from the U.K. who "loves a challenge
A two-year-old British boy has become the youngest ever member of Mensa, the exclusive club that only welcomes people with an IQ of 132 or above, according to Guinness World Records. Joseph Harris-Birtill, born on November 23, 2021, was admitted to the organization at the age of just two years and 182 days. "It soon became clear that he was an exceptional little being," Harris-Birtill's mother Rose told Guinness World Records. "He first rolled over at five weeks, said his first word at seven months, and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at one-and-three-quarter years." "He's learning morse code, knows the Greek alphabet, and has recently gotten interested in the periodic table," his mother said. "His interests are vast and varied, and he is always keen to learn more and loves a challenge." Harris-Birtill's parents — who both lecture at Scotland's prestigious University of St. Andrews — told Guinness they first decided to reach out to Mensa to find more support for Joseph after seeing how early he'd started reading. Joseph Harris-Birtill, born on November 23, 2021, of the U.K., has become the youngest ever member of Mensa, the exclusive club that only welcomes people with an IQ of 132 or above, according to Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records "I searched online for any further support available, and saw that Mensa offers resources and membership for highly able children," Rose told the organization. "We hope that this accomplishment can give him a sense of pride when he is older – it's a very unusual accolade and the credit is all his!" Harris-Birtill is 13 days younger than the youngest female member of Mensa was when she was admitted to the prestigious club. American Isla McNabb became the youngest member of Mensa in 2022 and held that overall title until Harris-Birtill came along. The tike has also, by default, taken the title of Britain's youngest Mensa member, topping Teddy Hobbs who achieved that rank at the age of just four in 2023. Rose, Harris-Birtill's mother, said she hoped sharing her son's story would help raise awareness about the unique needs of children like her son. "It is a common misconception that everything is super easy for gifted children. But everyone needs appropriate stimulation and understanding throughout their lives, and highly able learners can sadly have their unique talents dimmed by the pressure to fit into environments that simply haven't been properly designed for them," she told Guinness World Records. "Joseph is fortunate enough to attend a brilliant nursery and has an excellent music teacher, and in Mensa we hope to provide him with a community of peers as a source of further support as his formidable intellect continues to grow and develop."
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
British toddler, 2, becomes the youngest EVER Mensa member - after saying his first word at just seven months old
A British toddler has become the youngest ever member of Mensa - the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. Joseph Harris-Birtill was officially welcomed into the elite club at the age of just 2 years and 182 days. To qualify for Mensa, you must have an IQ of at least 132, putting you in the top two per cent globally. The youngster impressed the society after saying his first word at just seven months old. 'It soon became clear that he was an exceptional little being,' explained his mother, Dr Rose Harris-Birtill. 'He first rolled over at five weeks, said his first word at seven months, and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at one-and-three-quarter years. 'By two-and-a-quarter years old he was reading out loud fluently for 10 minutes at a time, could count to 10 in five languages and could count forwards and backwards to well over 100.' Joseph is even younger than the youngest female Mensa member, Isla McNabb, who was 2 years 195 days old when she joined. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Joseph's parents, both 39, work in academic fields. His father, David, is a Senior Lecturer at the University of St Andrews, while Rose is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the same university and Editorial Director at the Open Library of Humanities. 'He's learning morse code, knows the Greek alphabet, and has recently gotten interested in the periodic table,' his mother explained. 'His interests are vast and varied, and he is always keen to learn more and loves a challenge.' Despite scoring at the 98th percentile, Joseph doesn't realise yet just how clever he really is, according to his parents. 'He is very kind and loving, confident and curious, and incredibly determined,' his mother said. 'He loves a challenge and is really exhilarated by complexity, whether learning chess or poring over new words and concepts that he hasn't come across before.' His parents decided to reach out to Mensa to get more support for Joseph, after it became clear how advanced his reading skills were. His parents decided to reach out to Mensa to get more support for Joseph, after it became clear how advanced his reading skills were 'I searched online for any further support available, and saw that Mensa offers resources and membership for highly able children,' Rose said. 'We hope that this accomplishment can give him a sense of pride when he is older – it's a very unusual accolade and the credit is all his!' Rose hopes Joseph's story will help to raise awareness about highly able learners. 'It is a common misconception that everything is super easy for gifted children,' she said. 'But everyone needs appropriate stimulation and understanding throughout their lives, and highly able learners can sadly have their unique talents dimmed by the pressure to fit into environments that simply haven't been properly designed for them. 'Joseph is fortunate enough to attend a brilliant nursery and has an excellent music teacher, and in Mensa we hope to provide him with a community of peers as a source of further support as his formidable intellect continues to grow and develop.' CAN YOU PASS A HIGH IQ TEST? TRY THESE MENSA QUESTIONS The following questions are taken from Mensa's online 'brain workout' and are similar to those in many IQ tests: Which same three-letter word can be placed in front of the following words to make a new word? SIGN, DONE, DUCT, FOUND, FIRM, TRACT, DENSE If you count from 1 to 100, how many 7's will you pass on the way? 10, 11, 19, 20, 21 There are 1200 elephants in a herd. Some have pink and green stripes, some are all pink and some are all blue. One third are pure pink. Is it true that 400 elephants are definitely blue? Yes or No 2 3 5 7 11 13 ? 14,15, 16, 17, 18 If a circle is one, how many is an octagon?2, 4, 6, 8, 12
Daily Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Telegraph
Two-year-old boy is officially the world's youngest genius
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parenting. Followed categories will be added to My News. At just two years and 182 days old - yes, the 182 is relevant - Joseph Harris-Birtill is the youngest-ever member of Mensa; the exclusive society for people with exceptionally high intelligence quotients. Mensa, the world's largest and most recognized club for brainiacs, admits only those who score in the top 2% on standardized IQ tests — a threshold that starts at a score of 132. 'We hope that this accomplishment can give him a sense of pride when he is older – it's a very unusual accolade and the credit is all his!' mum Rose, who lives in the UK, told Guinness World Records. Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. RELATED: My kid was rejected from a Selective School and I'm ropable Joseph said his first words at seven months GWR and Joseph's parents have chosen not to reveal the toddler's exact IQ. However, they have shared that he's surpassed the record of the youngest-ever Mensa member, a title previously held by Isla McNabb, who was awarded the honor in 2023 when she was two years and 195 days old. To qualify for membership, individuals must demonstrate exceptional cognitive abilities in various intellectual areas, including problem-solving, logic and language comprehension. Joseph's mum said: 'It soon became clear that he was an exceptional little being — he first rolled over at five weeks, said his first word at seven months, and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at 1¾ years." Joseph Harris-Birtill is a tiny genius. Image: Guinness World Records. "Kind, loving, confident and curious" 'By 2¼ years old, he was reading out loud fluently for 10 minutes at a time, could count to 10 in five languages, and could count forwards and backwards to well over 100.' Joseph's world record should come as no surprise. His parents are academic professionals, and were able to see early on that Joseph's abilities were unusual for his age. Rose, an honorary senior lecturer at the University of London, and David, a senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews, reached out to Mensa to get support for their son whom they knew was extraordinarily gifted. 'He loves a challenge and is really exhilarated by complexity, whether learning chess or poring over new words and concepts that he hasn't come across before,' Rose shared. Joseph's family is proud of more than just his intellect, too. His mum noted that : 'He is very kind and loving, confident and curious, and incredibly determined. "It is a common misconception that everything is super easy for gifted children. But everyone needs appropriate stimulation and understanding throughout their lives, and highly able learners can sadly have their unique talents dimmed by the pressure to fit into environments that simply haven't been properly designed for them." Originally published as Two-year-old boy is officially the world's youngest genius
