The lone genius is a myth

All great achievements involve some measure of collaboration.

Some geniuses were obvious partners - like Orville and Wilbur Wright, or Marie and Pierre Curie, or John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Then there are other more obscure cases where collaboration was the driver of creativity. 

• Van Gogh had a brother Theo, who was "as much their creator as I, because the two of us are making them together."
• Picasso rose to the height of his creativity through a friendly rivalry with Matisse.
• After "a lot of discussions" with Michele Besso, Einstein "could suddenly comprehend the matter."