At age 26:
American anthropologist Margaret Mead wrote her famous dissertation, Coming of Age in Samoa, which claimed that in some societies adolescence is not a particularly difficult time.
Albert Einstein published five major research papers in a German physics jornal, fundamentally changing man's view of the universe and leading to such inventions as television and the atomic bomb.
Benjamin Franklin published the first edition of Poor Richard's Almanac, which was to play a large role in molding the diverse American character.
Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Chereshkova became the first woman to travel in space.
College dropout Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple Computer.
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, revolutionizing the economies of the United States and Britain.
Antoine Joseph Sax invented the brass saxophone.
"Johnny Appleseed" brought apple seeds to the Ohio Valley.
Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Italy.
Gon Yangling memorized more than 15,000 telephone numbers in Harbin, China.
Orion Krynen of Denver, CO reached this age without much incident.
British ethologist Jane Goodall set up camp in the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve on Lake Tanganyika and began studying the lives of chimpanzees.
Ken Kesey published his first novel, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Thomas Pynchon published V., for which he won the William Faulkner First Novel Award.
Kirsteene Luhrmann of Melburne, Victoria quit smoking.
Stephen Breen from Dublin, Ireland found this site.
Darren Blackburn became the first and only athlete of the Principality of Sealand, despite being somewhat lacking in athletic ability.