What is MENSA?

Mensa is the International High-IQ Society. It is a not-for-profit organization whose sole qualification for eligibility is a score in the top 2% of the general population.

Mensa was founded in 1946 by Dr L. L. Ware and others as a logical continuation of a project started in Britain during the Second World War in which the government brought together the brightest minds they could find to develop unique solutions to wartime problems. Following the war,Mensa was created to continue the task, but quickly converted itself to a largely social organization. Mensa now exists primarily to serve as a forum within which members may meet and interact as they see fit.

Mensa has no opinions on any topic although individual members often have very strong opinions on every topic. As a consequence, there will always exist members whose opinions are diametrically opposed to the opinions of any particular member.

There are nearly 50,000 members of Mensa in the United States, and another 50,000 in various countries around the world. American Mensa is headquartered in Ft Worth, TX.

Both my parents are Mensans... in fact, that's where they met! (My Mom says it's the best place to meet men.)

A Few Famous Mensans

Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert comic strip seen in over 800 newspapers around the world.

Isaac Asimov, prolific American writer, esteemed for his science fiction and for his popular works in all branches of science.

Marilyn vos Savant, listed in the Guinness Hall of Fame for having the world's highest recorded I.Q. (228). She is the wife of Robert Jarvik, inventor of the Jarvik 7 artificial heart. She also writes "Ask Marilyn," a weekly column that appears nationally in "Parade" magazine.

Jean M. Auel, best-selling author of "Clan of the Cave Bear", "Valley of Horses", "The Mammoth Hunters", and "Plains of Passage". A former technical writer, she turned her attention to fiction, buttressed by much historical and anthropological research, touring areas she was to write about and teaching herself to make stone-age tools.

Adrian Cronauer, radio personality and subject for the movie "Good Morning Vietnam." Started his radio career at 12 in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, where he hosted a children's amateur hour. Worked as a DJ at various radio stations and in Saigon during the Vietnam War. He is also a lawyer. Cronauer was originally attracted to Mensa because of the work they do for gifted children.

27 Reasons to Have a Pet Mensan - by George Smiley
(reprinted from Mid-Mensan, the newsletter of Mid- Hudson (NY) Mensa, Candace Cowan, editor; via ToteMs, Dave Lyons, editor, and Of Mice and Mensa, Helene Brodrick, editor)

1. You can take it to parties and win at Trivial Pursuit.

2. It can explain Saturday morning cartoons to you.

3. It makes a great doorstop.

4. It will never be depressed or sulk, unless it feels like it.

5. If you have bad taste, it has bad jokes.

6. If you have good taste, it can be muzzled.

7. It can always find a party on Friday nights.

8. If you've done something naughty, it will always be interested.

9. It won't drink your liquor — unless you're not looking.

10. It won't shed if you shave it regularly.

11. It can insult bullies for you in an intellectual manner.

12. It can get the intellectual snot beat out of it by bullies.

13. It will answer to its name if you give it a yummy.

14. It can put all your personal records onto a floppy disk — then erase it.

15. It is clean, unless there's something dirty around.

16. It can sit, roll over, and play dead (once again, a yummy is required).

17. It knows more sleazy places than a two-dollar hooker.

18. It will always do what you want it to, unless it doesn't want to do it.

19. It can gossip for hours on end about people present, with a twinkle in its eye.

20. With enough yummies, it may be possible to train it not to tell puns. (Note: complex tricks such as this may require several boxes of yummies.)

21. It can draw a map on a cocktail napkin that can have you lost in less than five minutes.

22. If you spill your drink, it can lap it right up.

23. It can find a use for a Ginsu steak knife besides slicing open beer cans.

24. It can draw intelligent stick figures on your wall with crayons.

25. It's easy to amuse — just give it a problem with no answer and leave it alone.

26. It can do your taxes — maybe not right, but it can do them.

27. It can help you write nasty letters to people and editors using big words.

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