Stephen Hawking
About Stephen Hawking
- Born: 8 January 1942
- Died: 14 March 2018.
- British physicist, cosmologist, author.
- Director of Research, Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, Cambridge.
- Combined general relativity and quantum mechanics for cosmology.
- Awards: Presidential Medal of Freedom, FRSA, Pontifical Academy member.
Life and Challenges
- Born 1942, studied cosmology at Cambridge.
- Diagnosed with ALS (1963, age 21): nerves controlling muscles failed; given 2.5 years to live.
- Early symptoms: tripping, slurred speech at Oxford; ignored until 1963.
- Tests confirmed ALS, not multiple sclerosis; called atypical case.
- Hospital experience: shared room with leukemia patient, felt his situation was bearable.
- Dream of execution made him value life.
- ALS progressed: wheelchair by 1969, needed help for most tasks by mid-1970s.
- Speech slurred, lost voice after tracheotomy (1985); required 24-hour care.
- Used speech synthesizer: selected words via clicker, later cheek muscle sensor.
- Health issues: chest infection (2009), hospitalized as “gravely ill” but recovered.
Scientific Work
- Combined cosmology (large universe) and quantum mechanics (small particles).
- Believed in time travel, human colonization of planets.
- Thought in 11 dimensions.
- Sought unifying theory to explain universe’s origin.
Books
- A Brief History of Time (1988):
- Explained space, time, universe.
- Bestseller, sold millions, translated into 40+ languages.
- The Universe in a Nutshell (2001): Illustrated guide to cosmology theories.
- A Briefer History of Time (2005): Simplified concepts, added string theory.
- The Grand Design (2010): Argued universe created itself via laws like gravity.
- The Theory of Everything.
- Total: 15 books written/co-written.
Views on Universe
- Early belief: Creator could align with science.
- The Grand Design: Big Bang due to physics, not God.
Quotes:
- “Universe can and will create itself from nothing.”
- “Not necessary to invoke God to set the universe going.”
Achievements
- World-famous after A Brief History of Time.
- Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, Cambridge (30 years, retired 2009).
- Life depicted in The Theory of Everything (2014 film).
Themes
- Resilience: Overcame ALS to achieve greatness.
- Technology: Speech synthesizer enabled communication.
- Curiosity: Pursued unifying theory.
- Accessibility: Simplified science for public.
Quotes
- “Before my condition was diagnosed, I had been very bored with life.”
- “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself.”
- “It is not necessary to invoke God.”
Support System
- Mid-1970s: Graduate student helped with care/work.
- Assistants and technology aided productivity.
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