Some were. Some would have made major advances whether they'd had a lot of formal schooling or not.

And many who had a lot of schooling learned to repeat, obey and sit still for 12-16 years.

And maybe had less initiative than they were born with. Maybe they learned to not question what they were told.

1. Thomas Edison Minimal formal education; mostly homeschooled by his mother. Edison was a voracious reader and learned through experimentation.

2. The Wright Brothers (Orville and Wilbur Wright) Neither completed high school. They learned through self-study, practical work, and their experiences running a bicycle repair shop.

3. Henry Ford Left school at 15 years old. Ford learned engineering and mechanics by working as an apprentice.

4. Michael Faraday Minimal formal schooling. Faraday worked as a bookbinder and educated himself through books and observation.

5. Benjamin Franklin Left school at age 10 due to financial constraints. Franklin was self-taught, primarily through reading and experimentation.

6. George Eastman Dropped out of school at age 14. Eastman learned accounting and photography on his own.

7. Elisha Otis Had little formal education and learned mechanics and engineering through work experience.

8. R. G. LeTourneau Dropped out of school in the sixth grade. He learned engineering through hands-on work and experimentation.

9. John D. Rockefeller Dropped out of high school to take a business course and learned through practical experience.

10. Philo Farnsworth Learned electronics and physics by reading and tinkering, despite being unable to afford college.

Most scientific advances throughout history prior to about the 1950s were made by people whose education was either informal or private (including apprenticeship). Private tutoring was the predominant mode of formal education (below university level) throughout history.