Alfred Hitchcock vs Chien-Shiung Wu
Two child prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alfred Hitchcock | Chien-Shiung Wu | |
| Field | Film | Science |
| Sub-field | Screenwriter | Physics |
| Born | 1899 | 1912 |
| Died | 1980 | 1997 |
| Country of birth | United Kingdom | China |
| Star sign | Leo | Gemini |
Who they are
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899, in Leytonstone, a quiet district of east London, to a greengrocer and his wife. He was a shy, overweight child who found that stories — their architecture, their capacity to generate unease — interested him more than almost anything else. His father once sent him to the local police station with a note, and the duty officer locked him in a cell for five minutes as a lesson in what happens to naughty boys. Hitchcock later described this as the defining trauma of his life, the…
Full biography of Alfred Hitchcock →
Chien-Shiung Wu
Wu Experiment 1956 — Proved parity violation, overturned a law of physics The First Lady of Physics · Columbia University · Wolf Prize 1978 Born May 31, 1912 · Liuhe, China · Died February 16, 1997
Full biography of Chien-Shiung Wu →
What they share
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Different fields: Film for Alfred Hitchcock, Science for Chien-Shiung Wu.
- Born in different countries: United Kingdom and China.
- 13 years separate their births (1899 and 1912).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alfred Hitchcock or Chien-Shiung Wu?
- Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock was born in 1899, Chien-Shiung Wu in 1912.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alfred Hitchcock is filed under Film (Screenwriter). Chien-Shiung Wu is filed under Science (Physics).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.