Xiang Tuo: Little is known about the fabled child savant from early Chinese literature, beyond this: At 7 years old, he was recognized as a teacher by Confucius. Chinese texts held him up as a paragon of excellence for young boys, though it's unclear whether his existence is fact or fiction. (Photo: Confucius statue at the Temple of Confucius in Beijing) UIG/Getty Images …  Christian Heineken: The 18th-century prodigy known as 'the infant scholar of Lübeck' packed in plenty of studying during his four-year life. He had a full command of German by his first birthday and was reading the Bible in Latin and finishing a history of Denmark by age 3. He is said to have predicted his own death, likely from celiac disease. Johann Balthasar Probst/Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden/Photo: SLUB Dresden, Deutsche Fotothek, Hans Loos …  Maria Gaetana Agnesi: The Italian mathematician, linguist and philosopher was born in 1718, the oldest of 21 children. She spoke Italian and French by age 5, and picked up Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, German and Latin by 13, earning her titles such as 'the Walking Polyglot' and 'the oracle of the seven tongues.' Alamy …  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: At 3 years old, in 1759, the Austrian composer was picking out notes on the harpsichord. He learned his first piece of music 30 minutes after examining it at age 4 and was composing works and performing for royalty by 7. Print Collector/Getty Images …  Frederic Chopin: The composer, born in Poland in 1810, was writing poetry, composing dance music and giving piano concerts well before his 10th birthday. When asked what he thought the audience liked best about his performances, young Chopin scored early points for humility by replying, 'My shirt collar.' Lebrecht Music & Arts …  Pablo Picasso: The Spanish master, shown with his sister, is said to have sketched before he could talk. When he was 7, he took lessons from his artist father and two years later finished his first painting, 'The Picador,' depicting a bullfighter astride a horse. Legend has it his first word was 'pencil.' Hulton Archive/Getty Images …  Bobby Fischer: The legendary American chess genius learned the game in 1949 at age 6, playing against his sister after reading instructions that came with a $1 plastic set from a candy store. After his sister lost interest, he played against himself. By the time he was 12 he had joined the preeminent Manhattan Chess Club. Associated Press …  Jean Piaget: The Swiss psychologist, born in 1896, made his first scientific mark by publishing a paper based on his observations of an albino sparrow when he was about 10. The curious youngster—and future expert in the study of child thinking—was so fascinated by mollusks that he became an authority on the subject by his teens. CSU Archives/Everett Collection …  Midori Goto: In the early 1970s, when the international violin star known as Midori was a toddler, her mother noticed the child humming a Bach melody she had overheard a few days before. On her 3rd birthday, her grandmother gave her a 1/16th-size violin. She made her performance debut in Osaka at 6. The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images …  Tiger Woods: The future golf star stood in his crib and imitated his dad's swing at six months old, broke 50 for nine holes at age three, got cranky if he shot over par on a golf course by age four and appeared in Golf Digest a year after that. By eight, he had won his first Junior World Championship, in the 10-and-under group. Alamy …
Sports, chess, math or music—the gifts of prodigies run the gamut. Scientists still understand very little about what sparks these anomalies and how their talents develop. See some of the ages' notably accomplished youngsters.