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Stephen William Hawking, CH CBE FRS (born January 8 1942) is one of the world's leading theoretical physicists. Hawking is Lucasian professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge (a post once held by Isaac Newton).
Hawking was born in Oxford, England to Frank and Isobel Hawking as their first child. He was educated at St Albans School, HertfordshireHertfordshire (pronounced 'Hartfordshire' and abbreviated as 'Herts') is an inland county, officially part of the East of England Government region. It is one of the Home Counties. Hertfordshire is located to the north of Greater London, and much of the c and University College, OxfordUniversity College (corporate name, "The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University, commonly known as University College in the University of Oxford", usually known by its derivative, "Univ"), is the oldest of the constituent c, where he obtained a first class honours degreeThe British bachelor's degree classification system is a grading scheme used to distinguish between the achievements of bachelor's degree graduates in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (often with minor variations) in other countries, such a in physics. He moved to Cambridge University to complete his PhDDoctor of Philosophy Ph. an abbreviation for the Latin Philosophiae Doctor , or in non-Anglo-Saxon (e. German and Scandinavian) usage Doctor philosophi Dr. was originally a degree granted by a university to a learned individual who had achieved the approv in cosmology at Trinity HallTrinity Hall is the fifth oldest college of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1350 by Bishop Bateman of Norwich; the college was intended to teach canon law to students to replace priests lost to the Black Death plague of the 1340s. Historically, Tr.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal SocietyThe Royal Society of London is claimed to be the oldest learned society still in existence and was founded in 1660. The Royal Irish Academy, founded in 1782, is also closely affiliated with it. The Royal Society of Edinburgh (founded 1783) is a separate S in 19741974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). Events January-February January 5 Dungeons & Dragons officially released. February 4 Patricia Hearst, the 19 year old granddaughter of publisher William Randolph Hearst, is kidnapped, appointed CBE in 1982 and became a Companion of Honour in 1989.
His principal areas of research are theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity. His major contributions to the field of research include his papers on the relationship between black holes and thermodynamics. His research indicated that black holes do not exist forever, but rather that virtual particle pairs created near their event horizons cause them to "evaporate" over time in a process known as Hawking radiation (although, in July 2004, he indicated that his theory that black holes destroy information was incorrect—see below). He is also known for his chronology protection conjecture which hypothesizes the theoretical impossibility of closed timelike curves.
In spite of being severely disabled by Motor Neurone Disease, he is highly active in physics, writing, and public life. He first began to show symptoms of the disorder while enrolled in Cambridge. He was diagnosed at the age of 21, shortly before his first marriage. At the time, doctors said he would not live more than about two or three years longer. He battled the odds and has survived much longer, although he has become increasingly disabled by the gradual progress of the disease. He has used an electronic voice synthesizer to communicate since he had a tracheostomy in 1985 following a severe bout of bronchitis. He gradually lost the use of his arms and legs and now almost cannot move. The computer system attached to his wheelchair is operated by Hawking manually through a device called "Clicker", which lets him select words and other options on his computer's screen, but can be controlled by head or eye movement as well.
Being remembered chiefly for his science, there is every chance that he would never have made the discoveries he has were it not for the support of his family. Although he divorced Jane in 1990 (they had 3 children - named Tim, Lucy and Robert - and now have a grandchild), Hawking is still something of a family man. Relationships drive him, not physics. In spite of his disease he describes himself as "lucky" - not just because its slow progress allowed him time to make influential discoveries but because it afforded him time to have, in his own words, "a very attractive family"[1]. When Jane was asked why she decided to marry a man with a 3-year life expectancy, she responded: "These were the days of atomic gloom and doom, so we all had rather a short life expectancy". He married his second wife Elaine Mason in 1995.
His two books A Brief History of Time and The Universe in a Nutshell have remained highly popular all over the world and are now classic best-sellers. Anyone interested in the universe, cosmos and how it all began can read them: no previous knowledge in this field is required to enjoy these books.A collection of essays by him - Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays is also extremely popular.
Hawking as himself on Star Trek TNG
In popular culture, he has become a widely admired figure as a genius who has had a successful life despite his severe disability. He had a guest appearance in an episode on the holodeck of the television series , playing poker with Data, Albert Einstein, and Isaac Newton in the episode "Descent, Part I." The animated television series The Simpsons and Futurama have occasionally featured him in episodes, and a character playing Hawking has appeared in the television series Dilbert. On Late Night with Conan O'Brien he participated in a bit with Jim Carrey. He also lent his voice to the Pink Floyd song "Keep Talking" from The Division Bell. A parody website even has a Hawking-like voice synthesizer rapping about physics [2]
Hawking is famous for his oft-made statement, "When I hear of Schrödinger's cat, I reach for my gun." This was a deliberately ironic paraphrase of Hermann Göring's anti-intellectual quote, "When I hear the word 'culture', I reach for my Browning", which itself was from a play by German playwright and Nazi Poet Laureate, Hanns Johst.
As well as his serious academic side, and humor, Hawking is an active supporter of different causes, having appeared on a party political broadcast for the Labour Party, and in actively supporting the children's charity, SOS Children's Villages. Reportedly he has also agreed to take part in a protest against the war in Iraq. [3]
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