HEINECKEN, CHRISTIAN HEINRICH a child prodigy, was born on Feb. 6, 1721, at Lubeck. Able to speak at the age of ten months, by the time he was one year old he knew by heart the principal incidents in the Pentateuch. At two years of age he is said to have mastered sacred history ; at three he was intimately acquainted with history and geography, ancient and modern, sacred and profane, besides being able to speak French and Latin ; and in his fourth year he began the study of religion and church history. Crowds of people flocked to Lubeck to see the wonderful child, who was able to discuss what he had learnt. He began to learn writing, but died on June 22, 1725, at the age of four.
The Life, Deeds, Travels and Death of the Child of Lubeck were published in the following year by his tutor Schoneich. See also Deutsche Bibliothek, xvii., and Memoires de Trevoux (Jan. 1731) .