India Positive: Aanchal Gangwal's father is a tea seller in MP. And she has just joined IAF as an officer!

Leonardo da Vinci may not have been such a great artist, if not for an eye problem. A recent study found that a condition known as exotropic strabismus gave Da Vinci an unusual ability to recreate three-dimensional shapes in his sculptures and paintings. Strabismus is a common vision disorder where one of the eyes looks inward, outward, up or down when the other eye is focused on an object.

The most decorated Olympian swimmer, Michael Phelps, is a man made for the water. With his long arms, big feet and towering over others with his 6'4" frame, Phelps has physical advantages over his fellow swimmers. Nicknamed ‘The Flying Fish’, Phelp’s wide wingspan is the key to success for his signature butterfly stroke, which relies heavily on the upper arms and back to push and pull a swimmer. His long, lean and triangle-shaped torso helps him move through the water with less drag. His legs, which are comparatively shorter but equally powerful, also contribute to his power in the pool.

Considered one of the greatest inventors of all times, Thomas Edison had experienced hearing loss in both ears at a young age. But the inventor of the phonograph and the incandescent light bulb considered his deafness to be a blessing, as it allowed him to think and read with total concentration. In an April 1925 article that appeared in a magazine, he wrote: “…I have been deaf enough for many years to know the worst, and my deafness has not been a handicap but a help to me.”

Few body parts are more recognisable — or more controversial — than Kim Kardashian’s derriere. Speculations of implants and rumours of cosmetic surgery have followed the entrepreneur’s rise to fame. In 2014, the reality TV star made headlines after she appeared on a magazine cover baring her famous behind. No wonder Kardashian is rumoured to have insured her most famous asset for $21 million.

Albert Einstein was not just a genius physicist but also a master violinist. His brilliance may be linked to the fact that both his brain hemispheres were well-connected, according to a study. The ability to use the right side of the brain creativity and the left side for logic simultaneously may have been what made him a genius. After Einstein died, his brain was removed and photographed from multiple and unconventional angles. The study found that Einstein’s corpus callosum, a thick bundle of nerves connecting the brain’s hemispheres, was thicker than a group of 15 elderly men and 52 men the same age as Einstein during his famous Miracle Year in 1905.