Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things: Hidden Talents of People You May Have Never Heard Of

I remember back in high school when we were assembled in the auditorium for a special visit from a holocaust survivor. When he was discovered in the concentration camps as an amateur violinist by the Nazi’s, they forced him to play at their leisure.

One day, they asked him to play “Partita in D minor for solo violin” by Johann Sebastian Bach. This man had never played the piece because he avoided music that had anything to do with Germany or the Nazi’s. They told him if he didn’t play it, they would shoot him.
This man picked up his violin and by the glory and grace of God’s hand “as he said”, he played the piece without even remembering it took place.

So you see, some of the most awe inspiring individuals in the world will never get their chance to tell their story. I am here to share with you a few that have inspired me.

Big things do come in small packages as you shall soon see.

The Next Mozart? 6-Year Old Piano Prodigy

Even at 6 years old, Emily Bear has astonished audiences from the White House to her own siblings who are also gifted. Emily has played the piano since the age of 3 and she even composed her first piece of music at age 2.

Paul Potts sings Nessun Dorma at “Britain’s Got Talent”

A mobile phone salesman who works at Car phone Warehouse brings out the beauty of “Nessun Dorma”, an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot, made famous by Luciano Pavarotti.

Esref Armagan: Artist Born without Eyes:

Born with a defect of the eyes, this painting visionary is imaging shapes in his mind and transcribes them and translates the final picture in his psyche to a canvas.

Ruediger Gamm: The Human Calculator

At 35 years old, Rudiger Gamm can instantly solve complex mathematical formulas inside his head. He is also able to multiply higher powers and divide two prime numbers to 60 decimals He is also a calendar calculator and he can determine within seconds the day of the week of any date in history.

Kim Peek: The Real Rain Man

Kim Peek has a photographic or eidetic memory and developmental disabilities, perhaps resulting from congenital brain abnormalities. He was the inspiration for the character of Raymond Babbit, played by Dustin Hoffman, in the movie Rain Man.

Daniel Tammet: The Boy with the Incredible Brain

Daniel Paul Tammet is a British high-functioning autistic savant gifted with a facility for mathematical and natural language learning. “In his memoir, Born on a Blue Day, he talks of how having epilepsy, synaesthesia, and Asperger Syndrome all deeply affected his childhood.”

Stephen Wiltshire: The Human Camera

Stephen Wiltshire MBE is an architectural artist who has been diagnosed with autism. He is recognized for being able to illustrate an entire landscape just by seeing it once.

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• Humanitarians that Left a Mark On History