Leonard Ross
Leonard "Lenny" M. Ross, (July 7, 1945 – May 1, 1985) was an American teacher, lawyer, and government official who was famous for his celebrity as a child prodigy and television game show contestant. Ross's game show winnings, totaling $164,000 (), were for two months in the spring of 1957 the highest ever earned on a United States television game show. Early years Ross was born to Pauline Ross on July 7, 1945. Ross was known as a prodigy and a genius. At age seven, he gained national attention by passing a federal examination for a ham radio operator's license. At ten, he became known as the ''whiz kid'' who won $100,000 on The Big Surprise, a television quiz show. Many of the questions he correctly answered concerned the stock market. As a prize, he became the first guest to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. At eleven, on February 10, 1957, Ross won $64,000 on The $64,000 Challenge. This total made Ross the highest winner of game show prize money for two months, until passed by another child contestant, Robert Strom, on April 16. At 14, Ross was graduated from high school and immediately matriculated