Stephen Hawking, the renowned British Physicist and Cosmologist breathed his last on 14th March 2018 at the age of 76. Not just for his discoveries, but Professor Hawking was known to be one of the most popular personalities making several appearance on television shows like Big Bang Theory and Futurama. The scientist made Science much more interesting and accessible to the masses, which is why there’s no one who is unaware of his remarkable personality.
As the news of his demise broke out, people from all over the world paid respect to the scientist. Here’s what PM Modi tweeted:
Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic. His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world. His demise is anguishing. Professor Hawking’s pioneering work made our world a better place. May his soul rest in peace.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 14, 2018
Regarded as a rare genius, Professor Hawking led an extraordinary life full of challenges and yet he managed to have an utterly interesting sense of humour. Remembering the great personality that he was, here are some facts about Stephen Hawking that will leave you in awe of the cosmologist:
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- Professor Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, on the 300th death anniversary of Galileo and died on March 14 which is the birth anniversary of Albert Einstein.
- It’s difficult to believe but the man who grew up to be one of the youngest achiever in the field of Science couldn’t even read until the age of 8.
- At the age of 21, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and was told that he had just 2 years to live. It was a slow form of motor neuron disease that gradually paralyzed him.
- When he was 32 years old, he became one of the youngest people ever to be elected to the Royal Society, the oldest scientific organization in the world.
- At age 43, he completely lost the ability to speak and started communicating with the help of a vocal synthesizer.
- Despite scoring poor grades, Hawking was nicknamed as ‘Einstein’ as he built a computer with his friends in his teenage. It’s believed that his understanding of space and time shocked everyone.
- His research and discoveries on the subject of black holes are responsible for how we look at the concept today. His most important contribution to cosmology was the ‘Hawking Radiation’ according to which a black hole leaks energy and gradually fades away.
- His book ‘A Brief History of Time’ sold 25 million copies across the globe that explained the model of the universe which has no boundaries in space or time. It appeared on the British Sunday Times best seller list for a record breaking duration of 237 weeks.
- In one of his unconventional theories, he predicted that the end of humanity will be caused by global warming. He once pointed out that we must take care of the planet Earth otherwise the future generations won’t be able to survive.
- Professor Hawking had received 13 honorary degrees and several medal, prizes, awards, and honors. These include CBE (1982), Companion of Honour (1989), Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009), Fundamental Physics Prize (2013), Copley Medal (2006), and Wolf Foundation Prize (1988).
