At age 13:
Pablo Picasso was so skilled at drawing that his father handed over his own brushes and paints and gave up painting.
Jodie Foster wrote and directed a short movie, "Hands of Time," consisting of a series of shots of hands portraying life from cradle to grave.
March composer John Philip Sousa became an apprentice in the U.S. Marine Band.
French painter Renoir worked at a porcelain factory, painting flowers on dishware.
Syndicated columnist Walter Winchell started in vaudeville.
Muddy Waters began playing harmonica at local gatherings.
Mario Andretti began racing. German-Swiss writer Hermann Hesse determined to be "a poet or nothing."
Judy Collins made her first appearance as a concert pianist.
Joan of Arc heard what she believed to be celestial voices. In time she convinced the Dauphin that she had a divine mission to save France, and she eventually turned the Hundred Years' War in France's favor.
Spanish composer Albeniz ran away from home and worked as an itinerant pianist.