Kim Peek’s one-of-a-kind brain allowed him to read two pages of a book at once, recite the day of the week for any date in history, and memorize some 12,000 volumes.
Wikimedia CommonsKim Peek , the tangible Rain Man .
In the filmRain Man , Dustin Hoffman play an autistic learned person with an incredible power to think back details , count one C of spilled toothpicks at a glance , and perform other astounding genial feats . But though Hoffman ’s character has ability that defy opinion , he ’s base on an actual person : Kim Peek , the “ real ” Rain Man .
What ’s more , Peek ’s life was even more unbelievable than the film hint .
Wikimedia CommonsKim Peek, the real Rain Man.
bear with a truly sinful mind — one that lacked the cluster of nerves that colligate the two hemispheres — peep developed surprising power as he grew up . After living in reconditeness for most of his biography , a chance face-off withRain Manscreenwriter Barry Morrow lend his story to the world .
This is his true story .
The Boy With An Unusual Brain
Laurence Kim Peek was born on November 11 , 1951 , in Salt Lake City , Utah , where it was clean that he was different from the beginning . Peek was born with a experimental condition know as macrocephaly , which caused the circuit of his headland to be abnormally expectant , in increase to a damaged cerebellum — the part of the brain that coordinate movement and Libra the Scales — and a rare birth mar known as agenesis of the corpus callosum .
This latter condition essentially mean that the pile of face that would typically connect the mastermind ’s two hemisphere was absent . peep was likewise miss his anterior commissure , a clean thing tract that serves as a lower-ranking connector .
When he was just nine months quondam , a doctor assure his parents that he would never walk or blab out and that he should be send . Some age after , another doctor suggested a prefrontal leucotomy .
FacebookLaurence Kim Peek was an expert in at least 14 subject areas.
Peek for certain had severe had developmental problems . He did n’t learn to take the air until he was almost four years old and he demand help to do introductory things arrange and brush his teeth until the destruction of his life . peep also had low I.Q. , around 87 , and struggled with subjects like math .
But his parent ignored the advice from doctors because they were seeing something that the aesculapian professionals did n’t : the working of Peek ’s unusual brain . By the age of two , Peek could memorize huge amounts of information . By the age of six , he ’d worked through the family ’s eight volume encyclopedia solidification . By 14 , Peek had fill out a high school programme .
And as he grew up , Kim Peek began to display even more incredible abilities .
X (Formerly Twitter)Kim Peek died on 28 November 2024.
Kim Peek’s One-Of-A-Kind Mind
Kim Peek ’s genial ability only expanded as he aged . give care for by his forefather , Fran — his parents divorced in 1981 — peep displayed jaw - dropping committal to memory skills as an grownup . He could memorise facts about everything from history to mutation , leading to his nickname “ Kimputer . ”
Perhaps most remarkable was Peek ’s interpretation power . He could read two page at once , one with each heart . Not only did Peek interpret some 12,000 volumes during his life , but he retained everything that he read .
This turn peep into a walking encyclopedia . For example , Peek could give elaborated drive directions to metropolis across the world free-base on mathematical function he had simply once glanced at . stimulate memorized phone record book , he could even severalise strangers the name of their neighbors , fit in toThe Guardian .
Fran PeekKim Peek with his father Fran in the car fromRain Man, holding the film’s Oscar award.
FacebookLaurence Kim Peek was an expert in at least 14 field of study sphere .
what is more , the real Rain Man had a remarkable ability to make genial calculations demand calendar . For example , Peek could retrieve which twenty-four hours of the workweek any historical event pass on when asked . He would also frequently approach stranger and amaze them by telling them what day of the week they were deliver on based on their birth date , as well as some of the most of import events that take place on that mean solar day .
Misdiagnosed with autism , Peek spent most of his grownup life bring at a day shop for adult with handicap , where he supervise paysheet without the need of a calculator or a reckoner . Often , he would take leave to journey with his begetter , helping other disabled people across the country .
As his founding father Fran noted to theWisconsin Medical Society : “ Kim is not behaviorally autistic . He has a warm , loving personality . He truly worry for the great unwashed and enjoy sharing his unique acquisition and knowledge capacity . ”
X ( Formerly Twitter)Kim Peek died on December 19 , 2009 .
Then , Kim Peek met Barry Morrow — one of the screenwriter ofRain Man .
Kim Peek and ‘Rain Man’
In 1984 , the Peeks meet screenwriter Barry Morrow at a meeting of the Association of Retarded Citizens in Texas . Morrow , who was hoping to incur inhalation at the conference , was “ bowl over ” by Kim Peek ’s abilities and readily set out to write a script with a similar character .
The result wasRain Man(1988 ) . Though it accept some liberties with Peek ’s story — Dustin Hoffman ’s character is key out as autistic while Peek is not — it tells a like story of a “ learned person ” with unbelievable exponent of anamnesis . And Hoffman largely base his character reference , Raymond Babbitt , on Peek .
The motion picture was a smash . Not only did it get ahead four Oscars , but it incite Kim Peek ’s report into the spotlight . People were peculiar to learn how Peek ’s strange brain gave him such extraordinary genial powers .
So what precisely give Kim Peek his amazing ability ?
Researchershave suggestedthat being born with no connexion between the hemispheres of Peek ’s brain stand for that he was able to process more information at once . Unlike many people with the condition , however , Peek ’s brain develop different connections that most people do n’t have . These extra connections lease Peek remember incredible amount of information .
Fran PeekKim Peek with his father Fran in the elevator car fromRain Man , holding the film ’s Oscar honour .
What ’s more , the picture ’s popularity also meant that people across the country were concerned in Peek himself . He and his forefather go around , and Peek verbalize to an estimated 64 million people about his condition . He became a positive function model for anyone who grew up “ different . ”
Kim Peek finally become flat of a heart attack in 2009 at just 58 . It was the end of an unbelievable life .
As Barry Morrow , who give his Best Original Screenplay Oscar to Peek , once said of the real Rain Man : “ I do n’t think anybody could spend five minutes with Kim and not come away with a slightly adapted view of themselves , the world , and our potential as human beings . ”
After this look at Kim Peek , the real Rain Man , read about more true tales that breathe in beloved movies , including the stories ofRod Ansell , the existent - life Crocodile DundeeandHenry Hill and the substantial - life Goodfellas .
