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Theoretical physicist and cosmologist
He discovered that black holes emit radiation, now called Hawking radiation, fundamentally changing theoretical physics by uniting general relativity with quantum mechanics.
Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist who served as director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at Cambridge University. Diagnosed with motor neurone disease (ALS) in 1963 at age 21, he defied a two-year prognosis to live 55 more years, revolutionizing our understanding of black holes and the universe while paralyzed and communicating through a speech-generating device. His book A Brief History of Time spent a record 237 weeks on bestseller lists, and he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom along with dozens of scientific honors before his death on March 14, 2018, at age 76.
Born in Oxford on January 8, 1942, Hawking grew up in St Albans where his eccentric family ate meals in silence while reading books and traveled in a converted London taxicab. He studied physics at University College, Oxford, earning a first-class degree in 1962 before beginning graduate work at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. At age 21 in 1963, doctors diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and gave him two years to live, but the disease progressed far slower than expected, gradually paralyzing him over five decades while leaving his brilliant mind untouched.
Hawking married Jane Wilde in 1965, two years after his ALS diagnosis, and she supported him through decades of declining mobility as they raised three children: Robert, Lucy, and Timothy. The strain of caregiving contributed to their divorce in 1995, and he married his nurse Elaine Mason the same year before divorcing her in 2006. After losing his speech in 1985 following a tracheotomy, he communicated through a speech synthesizer controlled first by a handheld switch and eventually by a single cheek muscle, and this synthetic voice became his iconic trademark heard in lectures, television appearances on The Simpsons and Star Trek, and even on a Pink Floyd album.
Born exactly 300 years after Galileo died on January 8, 1942, making him a Capricorn.
A Brief History of Time stayed on the Sunday Times bestseller list for 237 weeks, making it one of the longest-running bestsellers in history.
Lived 55 years beyond his initial two-year prognosis after ALS diagnosis in 1963.
Communicated through a single cheek muscle after losing the ability to speak in 1985.
Appeared as himself on The Simpsons, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and The Big Bang Theory.
Held Isaac Newton's former position as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge from 1979 to 2009.
Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.
However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.
Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.
Born on January 8 in Oxford, England, 300 years after Galileo's death
Began studying physics at University College, Oxford at age 17
Diagnosed with motor neurone disease (ALS) at age 21 with a two-year life expectancy
Married Jane Wilde, who supported him through decades of declining mobility
Completed PhD in applied mathematics and theoretical physics at Cambridge
Became Fellow of the Royal Society at age 32, one of the youngest ever elected
Discovered that black holes emit radiation, later called Hawking radiation
Appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, Isaac Newton's former position
Lost ability to speak after tracheotomy, began using speech-generating computer
Published A Brief History of Time, which became a record-breaking bestseller for 237 weeks
Received Wolf Prize in Physics for contributions to quantum gravity and cosmology
Divorced Jane Wilde and married nurse Elaine Mason
Received Copley Medal, the Royal Society's oldest and most prestigious award
Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama
Subject of biographical film The Theory of Everything, with Eddie Redmayne winning Best Actor Oscar
Died on March 14 at age 76 in Cambridge, 55 years after ALS diagnosis













