Stephen Hawking

Stephen William Hawking (8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018) was an English theoretical astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author. He worked as director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. From 1979 to 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge.

Hawking was born in Oxford. Even though he was diagnosed with a health condition at age 21, he made important discoveries in science. One of his most famous ideas was that black holes give off radiation, now called Hawking radiation.

Hawking became well known for his popular science books. A Brief History of Time was read by many people around the world. He received many awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and is remembered as one of the great thinkers of our time.

Early life

Stephen William Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 in Oxford. His parents were Frank and Isobel Eileen Hawking. They were both very smart and came from families who loved science and medicine. Even though money was tight, they both went to the University of Oxford.

Stephen started school in London and later went to schools in St Albans. There he grew to love science, especially physics. Even though he had some trouble at first, he became very good at science and chose to study physics at university. In 1959, when he was 17, he began his studies at University College, Oxford. He later got a top degree in physics and kept studying at the University of Cambridge.

Career

When Stephen Hawking began his studies, scientists were talking about how the universe started. Two main ideas were the Big Bang and the Steady State theories. Hawking learned about black holes and wanted to study the whole universe.

After finishing his studies, Hawking worked on new ideas. He worked with another scientist to show that the universe likely started from a single point. He also helped prove that black holes have three features: size, spin, and charge. Later, Hawking discovered that black holes can give off radiation and slowly disappear. This idea was surprising at first but was accepted later.

In the years that followed, Hawking kept making important discoveries. He wrote books to explain these ideas to everyone, not just scientists. One of his books became very famous and was read all over the world. Hawking also kept working with other scientists, exploring questions about the universe's beginning and whether information could be lost in black holes.

Personal views

Stephen Hawking had strong opinions about many important topics. He thought philosophy was not as important because science could answer big questions about the universe. He worried about the future of humanity. He said Earth might face big dangers like nuclear war, climate change, or an asteroid hitting us. He believed humans should explore space to stay safe.

Hawking did not believe in God. He felt that science could explain how the universe began. He supported health care for everyone. He spoke out against wars and unfair treatment of others, believing everyone deserved to be treated with respect.

Personal life

Stephen Hawking met his future wife, Jane Wilde, at a party in 1962. In 1963, he learned he had a serious illness that affected his body. Despite this, they married in 1965 and had three children. Hawking needed a lot of care because of his illness, and Jane often helped him. They stayed devoted to each other their whole lives.

Because of his illness, Hawking could not move or speak easily. He used special tools and technology to talk and do his work. Even with these challenges, he became a famous scientist and inspired many people around the world.

Death

Stephen Hawking passed away peacefully at his home in Cambridge on 14 March 2018, at the age of 76. Many important people from science, entertainment, and politics shared their thoughts about him. His funeral was held later that month at Great St Mary's Church in Cambridge, with special guests like actors and scientists.

After his cremation, a special thank-you service was held at Westminster Abbey, where his ashes were placed between the graves of famous scientists Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Media depictions

Stephen Hawking appeared in many films and television shows. Some of these include God, the Universe and Everything Else (1988), The Real Stephen Hawking (2001), and Hawking (2013). He was also in The Simpsons and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

He lent his voice to songs and shows, like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series. Hawking also advertised several products. In 2022, Google celebrated his 80th birthday with a special drawing online.

Awards and honours

Stephen Hawking received many awards and honours for his work. In 1974, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was also part of important groups like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

Hawking received many prizes, including the Copley Medal in 2006 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Several buildings are named after him, such as the Stephen W. Hawking Science Museum in San Salvador and the Stephen Hawking Centre in Canada.

The Hawking Fellowship

Main article: Hawking Fellowship

In 2017, the Cambridge Union Society created the Professor Stephen Hawking Fellowship. This award is given each year to someone who has made big contributions to science and talking about science, especially for young people. The winner gives a talk called the "Hawking Lecture".

Medal for Science Communication

Hawking helped start the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication in 2016. This medal is given each year to people in the arts who help make science known to everyone. The medal shows a picture of Hawking and also the first spacewalk made by Alexei Leonov. The first winners were chosen by Hawking himself.

Publications

Stephen Hawking wrote many books and films to explain science for everyone. Some of his popular books are A Brief History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell, and My Brief History. He also wrote fun science books for children with his daughter Lucy, like George's Secret Key to the Universe.

He appeared in films and TV shows such as A Brief History of Time and The Theory of Everything. Hawking also published many important research papers about black holes and the universe.