Described as one of the most outstanding contemporary astrophysicists and cosmologists, the author of "A Brief History of Time" and other popular science works, a recognized lecturer in the academic community and definitely one of the most famous and respected scientists. , as reported by his children.
An atypical man with a unique story
Stephen Hawking came from a scientific family. His father, Dr. Frank Hawking, was a biologist whose specialty was tropical medicine. He was born on the 8th January 1942 in Oxford, where his family moved from London, which was threatened by bombing. They returned to the capital of England after the war.
Academic times
The future astrophysicist and cosmologist began his academic adventure at the University of Oxford. At his father's persuasion, he decided to study natural sciences, but he already specialized in physics. His interests included, among others: thermodynamics, theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. As he himself claimed, he was not very involved in this period scientific development, and his academic boredom was relieved by his appearances in the rowing team. In 1962 he obtained his BSc and remained at Oxford, studying astronomy.
Moving to Cambridge
However, it turned out quite quickly that Stephen Hawking preferred theory to observation. Additionally, the Oxford observatory allowed him to observe only sunspots. For this reason he made a decision to study at Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge, where he completed his Ph.D. under the supervision of Dennis William Sciama.
medical history
The course of Stephen Hawking's illness is not a textbook example. Her the first symptom appeared shortly after moving to Cambridge. The astrophysicist fell down the stairs due to loss of balance. Shortly after this incident, he was diagnosed with ALS, or multiple lateral sclerosis. From the very beginning, Stephen Hawking's doctor was his father. He survived the disease for over 50 years, which is unprecedented in the history of modern medicine. The consequence of ALS was paralysis of almost the entire body and the loss of the ability to speak. For this reason, he communicated using a speech synthesizer, into which he entered text using his cheek.
Science achievements
Recognition in academic environment won after the publication of the book "A Brief History of Time", which remained on the British Sunday Times bestseller list for a record period of 237 weeks. All scientific achievements are related to theoretical assumptions in the field of astrophysics and quantum gravity. He specialized in the study of black holes, as well as issues related to the essence of the Universe - its origins, features, topology and structure.
Presence in public life
Stepehen Hawking is also known for his teaching activities. He gave public appearances, incl. at CERN and universities. His activity is not only about popular science. He did not shy away from speaking about culture, art, religion or culture. It is also present in pop culture, incl. he appeared in the series The Big Bang Theory, films were made about him (eg The Theory of Everything), and he was the author of numerous popular science programs.
