Physics Pioneer Stephen Hawking Is No More, Dies Peacefully At 76
The world has lost a great physics mind in Professor Stephen Hawking. He passed away during the early hours of Wednesday at his home in Cambridge.
“We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today,” said his children Lucy, Robert, and Tim in a statement.
“He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.”
Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, England. After completing his schooling, he went to Oxford University for his undergraduate and later did a Ph.D. at Cambridge.
Hawking was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neuron disease at the age of 22 (in 1963) that later left him confined to his wheelchair. However, with the use of technology, he was able to communicate without much difficulty.
The British scientist fought depression caused due to his possibly incurable illness and went on to live life at the fullest. His great discoveries and work include Hawking radiation, Penrose-Hawking theorems, and many more.
It’s also believed that the scientist was a rash driver. He may have injured himself multiple times while riding his electric wheelchair as he visited the emergency department at Addenbrooke’s Hospital multiple times.
His life has been portrayed in various movies where award-winning actors like Benedict Cumberbatch (Hawking) and Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) played his character.
Hawking himself also guest-starred in many shows including The Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons, Futurama, Alien Planet, Red Dwarf, etc. He also published several books. During the course of his life, he bagged many awards and medals. He also wrote a number of books. His first publication “A Brief History of Time” was a great success and sold over 10 million copies.
Other than his work in theoretical physics, Hawking has been a source of some great quotes. Here is an interesting one:
“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”