William Cullen Bryant was the youngest scientist ever recorded. He was born in 1794 in Cummington, Massachusetts. At the age of 13, he entered Williams College, where he studied mathematics, natural philosophy, and chemistry. He graduated in 1810 and went on to study medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his medical degree in 1813 and began practicing medicine in Boston. In addition to his medical practice, Bryant was also a poet, journalist, and conservationist. He died in 1878.