When Kim Peek was 9 months old, doctors told his parents to put him in an institution and forget about him.

That was 56 years ago.

Far from institutionalized, Peek was in Madison on Thursday, Best Picture Oscar in hand, speaking to students at Jefferson Middle School about respecting differences in others, making the world a better place and showcasing his amazing memory. Peek was an inspiration for the 1988 Oscar winning film, "Rain Man, " the story of a savant.

Peek lacks the ability to reason, but he remembers 98.5 percent of everything he reads, according to scans done by NASA, said his father, Fran. And he reads a lot. Fran, who travels with him, said his son has read more than 12,000 books. He reads paperbacks in about 45 minutes, two pages at a time: He reads the left page with his left eye, the right page with his right.

Although "Rain Man " was released before the kids at Jefferson Middle were born, many have seen the movie and they all were ready to test Peek 's photographic memory.

How deep is Death Valley? (282 feet below sea level) Who won the Heisman Trophy in 1968? (O.J. Simpson) What 's the highest point in Massachusetts? (3,487 feet above sea level) Even local questions proved no problem.

"What was the population in Wisconsin in 1999? " asked sixth-grader Lindsey Kermgard.

"You were getting up to about five-and-a-half, six million, " Peek answered.

Days of the week are one of his specialties. Tell him your birthday and he will tell you what day of the week you were born and what day you will turn 65. What day did Wisconsin get statehood? What day of the week did Lincoln die? Peek knows.

"What day did the Battle of Midway start? " asked sixth-grader Griffin Riddler.

"June 4, 1942, " Peek answered. "Thursday. "

Sports trivia, music trivia, geography, history: If he doesn 't know the answer, he will ask you for it, repeat it, and thank you for telling him.

Peek occasionally repeats facts as he searches his mind for answers. He hugs people who stand near him and speaks straight into their faces.

The kids were impressed with his abilities and eager to ask questions. They passed the microphone, and the Oscar, to each other, smiling and engaged.

One student got philosophical.

"Which came first: the chicken or the egg? "

"Did you ever see an egg cross the road? " Peek answered.

Sixth-grader Tiago Prieto enjoyed Peek 's presentation and message.

"It 's almost like he was the son of Albert Einstein, " Prieto said. "Everybody is different, and being different is a good thing. "

Natalie Riopelle agreed it was a fun day.

"I thought it was really cool, " she said. She has never seen "Rain Man, " but isn 't sure she will any time soon. "It 's rated R, so I don 't know if I can. "

Peek is an intellectual megamemory savant. His brain lacks a corpus callosum, the tissue that connects the two halves of the brain. His cerebellum, the part of the brain that coordinates motor control, is also damaged, and Peek needs assistance with physical tasks such as navigating stairs, dressing and shaving. His father helps him.

"We share the same shadow, " Peek said.

Peek 's appearance was sponsored by VSA arts of Wisconsin, which provides art programs for adults and children with disabilities, and the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation, which supports medical and health education.