Stephen Hawking roamed the cosmos from his wheelchair, unlocking the secrets of the universe while defying medical expectations for decades. Although doctors predicted he would die young, he lived a full life that fundamentally changed our understanding of black holes and time. He became a pop culture icon, bringing complex physics to the masses with his wit and determination. Furthermore, his distinct computerized voice became one of the most recognized sounds on the planet. Prepare to look up at the stars with the man who explained them best.
Stephen Hawking
Doctors gave him only two years to live when he was twenty-one. At that time, they diagnosed him with ALS and expected a rapid decline. However, he defied all medical odds and lived to the age of seventy-six, continuing his work for another half-century.
Uniquely, he threw a party for time travelers but sent the invitations after the party finished. He sat alone in a room with champagne and balloons to see if anyone from the future would arrive. Since no one showed up, he concluded that time travel to the past likely does not exist.
His famous computerized voice had an American accent, even though he was British. The original synthesizer he used in 1986 utilized a voice card with an American intonation. Although technology improved over the years, he refused to update the sound because he felt it had become his true voice.
Surprisingly, he wrote a series of children’s books with his daughter Lucy. The “George” series explains complex concepts like black holes and the origins of the universe to young readers. Thus, he proved that even the most difficult science can be accessible to everyone.
Stephen Hawking experienced zero gravity aboard a specialized Boeing 727 jet. At the age of sixty-five, he left his wheelchair for the first time in decades to float in weightlessness. He did this to encourage interest in space travel, which he believed remained vital for humanity’s survival.
Strangely, he never won a Nobel Prize for Physics. The Nobel committee generally awards prizes for discoveries confirmed by experimental data. Because we cannot yet observe Hawking Radiation directly from black holes, the committee could not validate his greatest theoretical achievement during his lifetime.
Stephen Hawking died on Einstein’s birthday and was born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo’s death. This cosmic coincidence links him forever to two of history’s other greatest physicists. Furthermore, he passed away on March 14th, which mathematicians celebrate as Pi Day.
Despite his genius, he was an average student during his early school years. His grades often ranked in the bottom half of his class because he found the work boring. Nevertheless, his teachers and peers recognized his potential and nicknamed him “Einstein.”
Pink Floyd used his synthesized voice in their song “Keep Talking.” The band sampled a commercial where Hawking spoke about the power of communication. Consequently, his voice appears on their 1994 album The Division Bell.
He famously warned humanity against trying to contact aliens. He argued that an advanced alien civilization might view humans the way a researcher views bacteria. Therefore, he suggested we should listen to the stars rather than shouting our location into the void.
Before his illness took over, he served as a coxswain for the Oxford rowing team. His small stature suited the role of steering the boat and shouting commands to the rowers. This position helped him make friends and break out of his shell during his university days.
He frequently appeared in popular TV shows like The Simpsons and Star Trek. In Star Trek: The Next Generation, he played a holographic version of himself playing poker with Einstein and Newton. He loved these cameos and enjoyed displaying his sharp sense of humor.
His book A Brief History of Time stayed on the bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Publishers often call it “the least read bestseller” because many people bought it for their coffee tables but found it too difficult to finish. Regardless, it brought cosmology into mainstream conversation.
Stephen Hawking conceded a famous bet regarding black holes to fellow physicist Kip Thorne. Hawking originally argued that information that fell into a black hole disappeared forever. However, he eventually admitted he was wrong and acknowledged that information can likely escape in a distorted form.
Finally, he requested that stone masons carve his famous entropy equation on his tombstone. This formula, which calculates the entropy of a black hole, represents his life’s work. It now sits on his memorial in Westminster Abbey, where he rests between Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.
