Stephen Hawking

 Stephen William Hawking CH FBE FRS FRSA (8 February 1942 14/03/2018) was an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist. Hawking was also the director of research at The Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, University of Cambridge. From 1979 to 2009, he served as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematical Sciences Science at Cambridge. The position is considered to be one of the most highly-regarded academic positions around the globe. Hawking was born in Oxford, into a family of doctors. At the age of 17, He began his education at university at University College in Oxford. He received a first-class BA in Physics. The graduate program began at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge in the month of October, 1962. In the month of March, 1966, he received his PhD in applied mathematics and theoretical Physics. His research area was general relativity, cosmology, as well as other areas. Hawking was 21 when he was diagnosed an early-onset, slow-progressing motor neurone disorder. He lost his speech and began communicating via a device that generates speech. Initially, it utilized a hand-held device and then one cheek muscle. Hawking's scientific work included an agreement on the general relativity framework and Roger Penrose's theory that black holes emit radiation. Hawking radiation was initially controversial. The discovery of Hawking radiation was popular with the general public in the late 1970s, following further studies. Hawking was the first to formulate a theory of cosmology that incorporated the general theory and quantum mechanics. Hawking was a firm advocate of the various world interpretations of quantum mechanics. Hawking was a commercial hit with a number of popular science books in which he discussed both his theories and Cosmology. The book A Short History of Time topped the Sunday Times bestseller list for the record-breaking duration of 237 weeks. Hawking was a Fellow of the Royal Society, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian honor in the United States. In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's survey of the 100 Greatest Britons. He died in 2018 at 76, after living with motor neurone diseases for more than 50 years.