ItsA2Z

Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous scientists of modern times. Despite his challenging physical impairments, he has contributed much to the world of science, helping spread his ideas to the general public with the release of accessible books such as ‘A Brief History of Time’. Here are some key facts on his life:

COMPUTER VOICE

– >His voice , generated by computer since throat surgery in 1985 , is known the world over and he is sought for comment on virtually every major discovery in the worlds of physics, astronomy and cosmology. His voice and cartoon caricature has even appeared on cult U.S. comedy cartoon The Simpsons, with his approval.

INTERNATIONAL FAME

–>He shot to international fame after the 1988 publication of “A Brief History of Time” about the origins of the universe.
–> Since 1974 he has worked on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics , Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles.

TIME THEORY

–> As a result of this research, Hawking proposed a model of the universe based on two concepts of time: “real time,” or time as human beings experience it, and “imaginary time,” the time on which the world may really run.
–> “The universe is self-contained, and without boundary, in imaginary time. However, in real time, the universe will appear to begin at the Big Bang,” Hawking said, referring to the explosion thought to be at the origin of the universe.

LIFE DETAILS

–> Stephen William Hawking was born in January 1942 in London. He grew up in and around London.
–> After studying physics at Oxford University, Hawking had begun his first year of research work at Cambridge when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
–> Hawking never expected to live long enough to complete his studies, and has been confined to his wheelchair since shortly after his 21st birthday by the wasting illness that deprives him of virtually all voluntary movement.
–> But the spread of the disease slowed and he met his first wife Jane. “This gave me something to live for,” he said.
–> The couple had three children but the marriage ended in divorce, as did Hawking’s second, to his former nurse Elaine Mason.