A 2-year-old British boy has become the youngest ever member of Mensa, the exclusive club that only welcomes people with an IQ of 132 or above, according to Guinness World Records. Joseph Harris-Birtill, born on Nov. 23, 2021, was admitted to the organization at the age of just 2 years and 182 days.
“It soon became clear that he was an exceptional little being,” Harris-Birtill’s mother Rose told Guinness World Records. “He first rolled over at five weeks, said his first word at seven months, and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at one-and-three-quarter years.”
“He’s learning morse code, knows the Greek alphabet, and has recently gotten interested in the periodic table,” his mother said. “His interests are vast and varied, and he is always keen to learn more and loves a challenge.”
Harris-Birtill’s parents — who both work at Scotland’s prestigious University of St. Andrews — told Guinness World Records they first decided to reach out to Mensa to find more support for Joseph after seeing how early he’d started reading.
“I searched online for any further support available, and saw that Mensa offers resources and membership for highly able children,” Rose said. “We hope that this accomplishment can give him a sense of pride when he is older — it’s a very unusual accolade and the credit is all his!”
Harris-Birtill is 13 days younger than the youngest female member of Mensa was, American Isla McNabb, when she was admitted to the club in 2022. He also has, by default, taken the title of Britain’s youngest Mensa member, topping Teddy Hobbs who achieved that rank at the age of 4 in 2023.
Rose, Harris-Birtill’s mother, said she hoped sharing her son’s story would help raise awareness about the unique needs of children like her son.
“It is a common misconception that everything is super easy for gifted children. But everyone needs appropriate stimulation and understanding throughout their lives, and highly able learners can sadly have their unique talents dimmed by the pressure to fit into environments that simply haven’t been properly designed for them,” she told Guinness World Records. “Joseph is fortunate enough to attend a brilliant nursery and has an excellent music teacher, and in Mensa we hope to provide him with a community of peers as a source of further support as his formidable intellect continues to grow and develop.”
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