Stephen William Hawking was a world-famous British scientist, professor, and author. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history.
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Join MemoriesMary Carr Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, United Kingdom during the Second World War. He was the eldest of four children. Stephen had a happy childhood mostly spent in Highgate, London and then in St. Albans, Hertfordshire.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking received a scholarship and attended the University College, Oxford to study Natural Sciences. He was 17 years old.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking told the examiners that if they awarded him a first-class degree, he would leave Oxford and go to Cambridge but if he got a second, he would stay in Oxford. In 1962, Stephen received a first-class bachelor's degree in physics from the University College, Oxford. That same year Stephen enrolled as a graduate student at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
Mary Carr Shortly after Stephen Hawking's 21st birthday he found out he had a progressive and incurable illness. He was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of moto neurone disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – ALS, for short). Stephen was given only two years to live. He said, "At the time, I thought my life was over and that I would never realize the potential I felt I had."
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking met Jane through mutual college friends at a party in 1962. Despite his prognosis, Stephen and Jane vowed to fight Stephen's illness together. They were engaged in 1964, and then married in 1965 in their shared hometown of St Albans.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking was awarded his doctorate at Cambridge University. The document titled "Properties of expanding universes" helped launch Stephen's career as one of the world's most famous scientists. In a statement accompanying the release, Hawking said he hopes the document will inspire more people to pursue science. He said: "By making my PhD thesis Open Access, I hope to inspire people around the world to look up at the stars and not down at their feet; to wonder about our place in the universe and to try and make sense of the cosmos. Anyone, anywhere in the world should have free, unhindered access to not just my research, but to the research of every great and inquiring mind across the spectrum of human understanding."
Mary Carr Stephen and Jane Hawking welcomed their first-born son, Robert.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking realized that black holes were like the Big Bang in reverse — and that meant the maths he had used to describe black holes also described the Big Bang. This was a key time in Stephen's life as the Big Bang theory was not accepted by all cosmologists, however he proved that it really happened.
Mary Carr Stephen and Jane Hawking welcomed their second child, Lucy.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society at age 32. He was one of the youngest people to ever receive this honor. Image courtesy of the Wellcome Collection.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking was appointed professor of gravitational physics at Cambridge University.
Mary Carr In 1979, Stephen Hawking was appointed The Lucasian Chair of Mathematics (also known as the Lucasian Professor) at Cambridge University. This is the most famous academic chair in the world. Stephen and Jane Hawking also welcomed their third child, Timothy. At this time Stephen's motor neurone disease had taken over and he was no longer able to walk or feed himself. He used an electric wheelchair to move around.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking was granted a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by the Queen.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking was admitted to hospital with pneumonia while visiting Geneva. He survived the operation that was required at the time, however sadly lost his ability to speak. He began communicating through an electric voice synthesizer. Image by woodleywonderworks on flickr.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking wanted to explain his work to the public and published his first book called A Brief History of Time. The book explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin, and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending, or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends? His book became an international bestseller.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking published a collection of scientific articles called Black Holes and Baby Universes, exploring ways in which the universe may be governed.
Mary Carr Stephen and Jane Hawking divorced, and he remarried his nurse, Elaine Mason. Stephen described his new relationship with Elaine Mason as 'passionate and tempestuous'. His second marriage lasted eleven years.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking released a book that unraveled the mysteries of recent breakthroughs in physics. It was called Universe in a Nutshell.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking released a book called On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy. The book is a revolutionary look at the momentous discoveries that changed our perception of the world.
Mary Carr Stephen Hawking's work on black holes continued. In 2004, he produced a bold new idea, questioning whether black holes broke the laws of physics. Image by elhombredenegro on flickr.
Mary Carr Actor Eddie Redmayne gave an Oscar-winning portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the movie "The Theory of Everything". The film was based on Jane Hawking's book called Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen.
Mary Carr In March 2018, Stephen Hawking passed away. His ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey, London. Stephen's brilliant theories advanced the ideas of Albert Einstein and ushered him into the pantheon of important modern physicists. His final message to the world was, “When we see the Earth from space, we see ourselves as a whole; we see the unity and not the divisions. It is such a simple image, with a compelling message: “One planet, one human race”.