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Living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can feel challenging at times. It’s not easy to feel like your mind works differently than everyone else, but your struggles to focus and fidgeting don’t have to hold you back from your dreams. Check out some famous people who had ADHD and made history with the skills that made them unique.
Although some of these people lived before ADHD was a known condition, they showed signs that they might have received a diagnosis with modern medicine. It might inspire you to dream bigger during ADHD Awareness Month just knowing that they accomplished so much without knowing their brain quite as well as you do.
The world knows John Lennon as one of the Beatles, but not many people know he also likely had ADHD. An early school report card noted that Lennon struggled to stay concentrated in French class. Other teachers wrote similar notes home.
His history of causing mischief in school and dropping out also supports the possibility that he might have had ADHD. A lack of focus and inability to sit still disrupted his school life. It was much easier for him to channel his creativity through music. The rest of the world would likely agree that doing what was best for his brain, like dropping out of school, ended up being what ultimately changed the course of music history.
Presidents have to give rousing speeches and stay focused on life’s greatest responsibilities. John F. Kennedy was able to do all of that while being among the famous people who had ADHD before it became well-known.
His doctors noted that he had constant chronic pain throughout his life in addition to impulsivity and hyperactivity. All of these symptoms fall under the ADHD umbrella. Even with chronic pain and potential ADHD, he didn’t stop shooting for the stars. After all, he quite literally got America to the moon.
While people today know that they can improve their focus with things like caffeine, that wasn’t a known phenomenon when Einstein was doing his work. He managed to become the father of modern physics while dealing with the forgetfulness and disorganization that often accompanies ADHD. His intense commitment to scientific progress could also be an indicator that he had this condition because it could have been his form of hyperfocusing, which some people with ADHD experience.
People travel from all over the world to see Leonardo da Vinci’s art. They might not know that the artist behind The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper also might have had ADHD. Those who employed da Vinci for projects noted his time management and procrastination struggles, which often afflict those with attention deficit conditions. He also slept very little. ADHD can sometimes make people have short sleep schedules because their mind struggles to slow down at night.
Some famous people who had ADHD have more historical context than others. Agatha Christie has less evidence of potentially having ADHD, but she did have dysgraphia. Dysgraphia makes writing by hand difficult and can occur alongside ADHD for some people. It makes Christie’s accomplishments extra noteworthy since she wrote so many famous books in her lifetime.
The world’s ability to communicate would look very different if Alexander Graham Bell hadn’t pursued his interests regardless of his personal challenges. He invented the telephone — and the graphophone — while living with dyslexia.
ADHD and dyslexia overlap in 30% of dyslexia cases, so it’s likely that he also struggled with his ability to focus and sit still. They make it challenging to keep up with neurotypical people in settings like classrooms, but they aren’t things that can hold you back from what interests you most in life.
You’ve likely heard Mozart’s music in concert halls, art museums and even on the radio. His work on the piano jumps between pacing and keys, which is one reason why classical music experts think he had ADHD. The way he expressed himself through his fortepiano changed how future composers structured their own pieces forever.
Mozart was also known for impulsive behaviors that link ADHD, OCD and tics into a potential case of Tourette’s Syndrome. The conditions can coexist, so it’s not impossible to think that Mozart had ADHD while writing some of history’s most beloved music.
Of all the famous people who had ADHD, Henry Ford is among the most quoted and the most questionable. Experts quote him as saying, “Thinking is hard work,” because he lacked the ability to focus on topics that didn’t interest him. His impulsive nature also makes historians clash. Some believe he had ADHD, while others think he had autism spectrum disorder (ASD). No matter how his brain worked, it didn’t stop him from inventing the Model T car and the assembly line that led to the industrial revolution in America.
When people talk about historical figures with ADHD, Jules Verne often comes up. There’s no hard evidence that he had the condition, but the signs were there. He generally struggled in school as a kid due to a lack of focus and the need to keep moving. However, his ability to hyperfocus on his greatest passion — creative writing — made him one of the most famous authors of all time.
Fans of theoretical physics often regard Thomas Edison as being among the world’s most brilliant minds. They also note that he might have had ADHD. Historians agree that he was generally forgetful and not great with managing his time. He also had a disrupted sleep schedule, which might have made it possible for him to enter frequent hypnagogic states to solve math problems with some extra brain power.
Getting an ADHD diagnosis only helps you understand your brain better. It shouldn’t make you feel like you can’t achieve your dreams. Get inspired by famous people who had ADHD and made history with their unique talents. You’ll leave your mark on the world no matter how your brain works compared to other people.
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