Karl Witte got his doctorate at age 13, making him the youngest person to earn this degree. Born in July 1800 to a German pastor who encouraged learning, Witte spoke German, French, Italian, Latin, and Greek by the age of 9. He attended the University of Giessen, where he graduated with a PhD, but his life thereafter is clouded in mystery. He reportedly traveled through Italy in 1818 and unsuccessfully sought work as a lawyer, but he did become known as a scholar of the works of Dante. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.
Dr. Witte was awarded a PhD at age 13, a Guinness record
Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die
