Youngest in Their Field

Youngest in Their Field

What's left to do when you hit your peak at age 14 -- or younger? The people on this list may be wondering the same thing. Was it genius, drive or sheer luck that got them there?

Scroll down to read about:

The youngest professional athlete

The youngest to win a Grammy

The youngest to win an Olympic gold medal

Mark Zuckerberg

The youngest self-made billionaire in history when he was 23, he's also the youngest to be named Person of the Year by this magazine. The creator of Facebook had a movie made about his life, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Tatum O'Neal

The youngest person to win an Oscar (at age 10) for this film, in which she co-starred with her famous father, O'Neal got a lot of press for her rocky marriage to a hot-tempered tennis star when she was all grown up.

Michael Kearney

He was the youngest college graduate, at age 10, from this university. By age 17, he had earned two master's degrees. He won $1 million on this game show in 2006. Check out photos of Michael.

Balamurali Ambati

The youngest to become a doctor in 1995 at age 17, he has been compared to the fictional character from this TV show. Today, Ambati is a professor at the University of Utah.

Jessica Watson

She is the youngest person to sail around the world, just three days shy of her 17th birthday. From this town in Australia, she beat the prior record holder, who was about 17-and-a-half when he completed the circumnavigation.

Freddy Adu

He was the youngest professional athlete at age 14 when he took the field for this soccer team. He now plays for club Caykur Rizespor and was an all-star in 2004 and 2006. See photos of Freddy.

Lionel Tate

It's not exactly how you'd like to make history. He was the youngest to be sentenced to life imprisonment at age 14 after committing this crime. The conviction was overturned, but Tate ended up violating parole and is now serving 30 years. He is 24

Michelle Wie

She was the youngest to become a professional golfer one week shy of age 16. She was also the youngest player ever to golf in a PGA event when she was 14.

LeAnn Rimes

The youngest person to win a Grammy, she was just 14 when she won for this album.She's in the news recently for her relationship with this actor. Both left their marriages to be together.

Jordan Romero

He became the youngest to climb Mount Everest, two months shy of his 14th birthday. He wrote a book about his experience and is inspiring other kids to climb through his 7 Summits Youth Challenge.

Alfonso XIII of Spain

Officially made king at birth, Alfonso is the youngest to hold the title in history, though he did not rule on his own until age 16. He was a great lover of this sport and was born in a cosmopolitan city.

Marjorie Gestring

She was the youngest to win an individual Olympic gold medal at almost 14 years old. The springboard diver was a long way from home when she competed in the 1936 Olympic Games held in a bustling city

Hou Yifan

She became the youngest world chess champion ever when she won an international competition held in this country at age 16. She is also the youngest player to be a grandmaster.

Yuto Miyazawa

The world's youngest professional musician at the age of 11, he plays guitar and has already performed with this legendary hard rocker, as well as the King of the Blues.

William Lawrence Bragg

Recognized for his work in physics in 1915 at age 25, he is the youngest to ever win a Nobel Prize. His research helped advance an important medical technology and a major scientific discovery.
Source:Specials