5. Ray Charles/Stevie Wonder
Both Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder will be known long after their deathes for their lasting impression on Rock ‘N’ Roll, blues and soul music despite both being afflicted by blindness. These Black American men are both Grammy winners and pioneers in the music industry opening doors for artists of color for years after their own time in the spotlight. Though Ray made his mark in the 50s and 60s, Stevie topped the Billboards in the 60s and beyond. And while Ray lost his sight mysteriously between 5 and 7 years old, Stevie was blind since birth. Either way, they were both gifted musicians who could paint beautiful pictures with music.
4. Christopher Reeve
For most of his career, Christopher Reeve was known throughout the world as the movie version of Superman. However, after an equestrian accident in 1995 where he was left confined to a wheelchair, he became a household name once again as a crusader for research to cure spinal injuries. Like Fox, he
became an advocate of stem cell research in hopes of finding a cure. However, long before his accident Reeve had been an advocate for causes such as the Make a Wish Foundation and the Special Olympics. That advocacy continued with the creation of his namesake Foundation as well as the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. Reeve truly proved that no matter what he was a Superman.
3. Ludwig van Beethoven
Few musicians have ever made their mark when they are deaf. However, one Austrian/German composer and piano virtuoso did just that after losing most of his hearing from tinnitus at the age of 20. Ludwig van Beethoven then used special hearing tubes and felt the vibrations of his piano to compose, which he did through a Classical, a Heroic and, finally, a Romatic period after tutoring under some of the other great composers in history, Mozart and Haydn. One of the most well-known composers in history, his accomplishments are as dazzling and spell-binding when taken into consideration that he was never able to hear his own work.
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The only American President to ever serve more than two terms, Franklin D. Roosevelt was paralyzed from the waist down by a form of polio or Guillain-Barré syndrome in 1921. While the actual disease that left him bound to a wheelchair has not been verified with 100 percent accuracy, FDR is known as one of the greatest presidents in American history leading the population through many tumultuous times. The Great Depression and World War II were two of the worst periods in American history known for their volatility and the loss of both human lives and many Americans’ livelihoods. However, FDR was the man for the job leading America through these times with confidence and grace that was not marred by his disability. And like Heller, he is also currently featured on an American coin – the dime.
1. Albert Einstein
Believed to have Asperger’s Syndrome, it is documented that the man, with whose name genius and mad scientist are associated, did not talk fluently until he was nine, failed his college entrance exam and had a hard time remembering simple things such as his phone number or how to tie his shoes. Nobel Prize winner for Physics Albert Einstein proved to be one of the most gifted minds in science and history though he was also rumored to have been dyslexic as a child which might have accounted for some of his problems with language. Einstein was known for his energy to mass-light conversion as well as the theory of relativity; great scientists including Hawking have used his scientific thoughts and theories to create much of the modern world’s wonder and new theories. Truly a gifted mind that was addled by a few kinks, he was remembered as being a genius with a few loose screws. Despite those mental flaws, the man was possibly the greatest mind to walk the earth in centuries and truly deserves to top this list.
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