Already at the age of 20, Hawking began to show signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which led to paralysis. And although the disease has deprived the scientist of the ability to control almost all parts of his body, he has already lived much longer than doctors predicted. The fact that Stephen Hawking has achieved such success in science, despite his dire condition, makes him exceptional. He is an excellent example of how powerful mind and spirit a person can have.
Stephen Hawking is one of the most prominent theoretical physicists of our time. Suffice it to say that he held the academic position of Lukasov's professor of mathematics at Cambridge University for many years - so prestigious that only 19 scientists in history (since 1663) have been awarded this privilege.
He has countless awards and prizes. Among the latter are the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009), the Fundamental Physics Prize (2013) and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards (2015). Probably the only prize he has yet to receive is the Nobel Prize.
We invite you to learn more about this wonderful scientist.
15. A little about the date of his birth
Stephen Hawking was born on Thursday 8 January 1942. This date is remarkable in that Galileo Galilei, one of the greatest astronomers, physicists, mathematicians and engineers in history, died 300 years earlier on the same day. So on January 8, the greatest mind died and the greatest mind was born, because Hawking also made a huge contribution to mathematics, theoretical physics and astronomy. In addition, Elvis Presley and Kim Jong-un were born on January 8. And on January 8, 1902, a law was passed in New York that prohibited public flirting. This is the date.
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14. Hawking was born into a poor family
Today, Stephen Hawking's fortune is about $ 20 million. However, as is often the case with self-made millionaires, Hawking grew up in a rather poor family by today's standards and achieved everything thanks to his ability. He was born in Oxford, his parents were educated people and worked in a medical center. When Hawking was eight years old, the family moved from Oxford to St Albans and settled in an inexpensive house requiring extensive renovation that was never done. And the family car was an old London taxi.
13. As a child, he went to a girls' school
Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be for a modern boy to attend a girls' school even for a week? Although teens in puberty might love it - huge selection and no competition! And in those years, little boys were often sent to a girls' school, it was a common practice. And Hawking had to walk to St. Albans High School for Girls, because his parents did not have the material opportunity to send him to a mixed school - she was further away. But since he was not the only boy who went through this, going to school for girls could hardly have any negative impact on him.
12. At first he was a very average student
Given what we know about Stephen Hawking today, one would assume he was a brilliant student from day one of school. In fact, he was extremely far from an excellent student and received grades "average" and "below average." Until the age of eight, he could not read, wrote like a chicken with a paw, and, by his own admission, was extremely uncollected and lazy. Surprisingly, his classmates and teachers called him Einstein - maybe in mockery, or maybe, having managed to discern something in him that he did not yet see in himself. Hawking did not study well because he was dumb or slow; apparently, he simply did not pay much attention to what was happening. But when he began to pay attention to this, he turned into an exceptional student.
11. Hawking got a very high score in his introductory Oxford
In high school, Hawking became interested in his studies, especially in the natural sciences. And best of all he was given physics. By the time he graduated from school, he had turned from an average student into a brilliant student. Hawking wanted to go to Oxford and for this he definitely needed to get a scholarship, since his parents were not able to pay for education at the university. And he passed the entrance exam with amazingly high scores, especially in physics. The first two years of his studies at the university, he recalls as rather boring - everything that they were taught, he found ridiculously simple.
10. At Oxford, he was part of the varsity rowing team
Most people who don't know much about Stephen Hawking think that he was born paralyzed. In fact, in his youth he was very active, went in for sports and until the age of 20 did not encounter any difficulties in this. At Oxford, he was part of the rowing team, loved going with friends to dances and classical music concerts, which he adored, and generally had fun as he could after boring years at school. Since his studies did not take much of his energy, he spent time talking with people and eventually became very popular with students. With his first wife, he began to meet just at the university.
9. Doctors said he would not live to be 24
Doctors discovered the first signs of the disease in Hawking in 1963, and their verdict was unambiguous: he had no more than two and a half years to live. But, fortunately, the doctors were wrong, and Hawking has already lived 50 years longer than they predicted. He is now 74 years old. As a result of the disease, he is completely paralyzed and can only communicate with the help of a computerized system that reacts to the movements of the facial muscles of the cheek.
8. Hawking communicates with the world through a computer
In 1985, Stephen Hawking fell seriously ill, had pneumonia and had to undergo a tracheostomy, after which he lost his ability to speak. I had to hire a 24-hour nurse (who later, by the way, became his second wife). No longer able to speak, Hawking invented to communicate with the help of facial expressions: he raised his eyebrows when he was called the right letter, and thus words and phrases were composed. Then his friends gave him the Equalizer, a speech synthesizer whose sensor responded to the movements of Hawking's right index finger. When the finger also stopped moving, the sensor was fixed in the opposite direction of the mimic muscle of the cheek, in which mobility still remains. The synthesizer allows you to select letters, words and phrases from over 3000 words and combinations.
7. He doesn't know how to place bets
Some people manage to make good money on bets in various games, although the majority of people usually lose. And although Stephen Hawking is not a regular at the casino and not a fan of sports betting on the winning of one or another team, once he also made a bet - and lost. It was a bet on black holes, the meaning of which few are able to understand, so we will not even try. In short, he argued with his friend Kip Thorne, an astronomer and physicist, about the nature of the Cygnus X-1 object and its radiation. Hawking claimed it was a black hole, but Kip Thorne said it wasn't. They argued for a subscription to the magazine. If Hawking wins, he gets a four-year subscription to the satirical magazine Private Eye, if Thorne wins, then Hawking buys him a year's subscription to the erotic magazine Penthouse. It was a long term betbut Hawking eventually admitted defeat and handed Thorne a subscription to Penthouse.
6. Hawking held the position once held by Isaac Newton
Newton is rightfully called the father of physics and the greatest scientist of his time, who made a huge contribution to science. It's amazing how Newton and other scientists managed to make such progress despite the limited capabilities and technology of the era. Sir Isaac Newton held an honorary position as Lucas Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. He was the second person to be selected for this position. Stephen Hawking also held this post, which he took over at age 67. People who, like Hawking, have received this honor are all, no doubt, exceptional.
5. Pope John Paul II was not enthusiastic about Hawking's work
Unlike Sir Isaac Newton, who believed in God and studied theology, Hawking is an atheist and supporter of the Big Bang theory, contrary to religious beliefs. At a cosmological conference at the Vatican in 1981, Hawking and Pope John Paul II had a brief conversation during which the Pope expressed his disapproval of Hawking's approach to the question of the beginning of the universe. John Paul II had nothing against scientific research and the study of space, but he did not like the fact that cosmologists raise questions about how, in fact, it all began. According to Hawking, the Pope said that there is no need to go deep into the Big Bang, because it is "the moment of creation," and therefore it is a matter of God.
4. Television loves him
We know little about modern luminaries of theoretical physics, because they do not appear on television, and only a few have the pleasure of learning from them. Stephen Hawking is not only a famous scientist, but also a media personality: he often appears in various TV shows - mostly scientific in nature - and even films. He has appeared several times on shows such as The Simpsons, Star Trek and The Big Bang Theory. And more than once he starred in commercials.
3. He advocates for voluntary withdrawal from life
The question of whether it is right to allow terminally ill patients to decide for themselves whether to live or die is very difficult. Some believe that it is akin to murder and immoral, while others - that allowing people to suffer without the possibility of healing is even more immoral. Stephen Hawking knows from his own experience what suffering is and what an incurable disease is, so he has the right to express his opinion.
2. He was married twice
Stephen Hawking's first wife in 1965 was Jane Hawking, whom his sister introduced him to. They fell in love and decided to get married - despite the fact that just then the doctors told Hawking that he had two and a half years to live. According to Hawking, Jane gave him a reason to live. They lived a long life together and raised three children. But the deteriorating condition of Stephen every year inevitably led them to a break at some point. Jane began to have romantic feelings for another man, and in 1995, the Hawkins divorced. After a while, Stephen married Elaine Mason, who was his nurse. This marriage broke up in 2006 and Hawking does not like to remember him.
1. He believes in the possibility of the existence of aliens
Although we are accustomed to thinking that aliens are a myth, Stephen Hawking argues that there is a non-zero probability that an advanced alien civilization exists somewhere in the universe. He also expresses concern that one day these advanced aliens will still arrive on Earth and possibly wipe the human race from its face. In addition, given the approximate size of the known part of the Universe, the chances of the existence of extraterrestrial life are really high - it does not matter if it is more developed or less developed. After all, the Earth is not even a drop in the ocean, but much, much less when compared with the Universe.