Barnum Brown (1873–1963) found himself holding tightly to a wooden barrel along the coast of South America’s Patagonia region. He couldn’t swim, and the barrel was the only thing keeping him alive after his shipwreck.
The 25-year-old paleontologist had only recently graduated from the University of Kansas and immediately took a job with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City. He also began graduate studies at Columbia University, which he never finished. Much like the barrel that rendered his inability to swim irrelevant, Brown’s determination and nose for discovery made his educational shortcomings unimportant. Brown’s success was based on a potent mix of skill, perseverance, and luck.
