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Kate Swanson

Stephen Hawking

At age twenty-one, Stephen Hawking was told he only had two years to live and he was diagnosed with a rare form of ALS. Here we are fifty five years later, Stephen Hawking passed away at age seventy-six, leaving behind a legacy that will never be forgotten.

Although Hawking was diagnosed with such a rare disease, nothing was holding him back. He was a world famous theoretical physicist. Hawking was born in Oxford, England in 1942. When Hawking was a child he began to notice he was clumsy. He wasn’t good at sports and he had very messy penmanship. As he got older and attended college one day he fell a couple times for no apparent reason. He later went to the hospital and stayed there for two weeks taking a variety of tests. He was then diagnosed with a rare form of ALS.  He said that before his diagnosis he was “bored with life” and didn’t see the point in doing. Once he was diagnosed everything changed. Not knowing how much time he had left in the world, he wanted to be sure to make an impact on the world and work hard to make a difference.

Heading into college he wanted to study mathematics. He attended Oxford, where they did not have his field so he decided to study physics. While he was a student he was diagnosed with the Neurone Disease that put him in a wheelchair and had him communicating with a computerized voice. At this point he began to inspire people with disabilities all over the world.

Three years later he was honored with first class honours degree in Natural Science. In 1962 he went to the University of Cambridge where he became the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. Hawking also received over a dozen honorary degrees and was awarded the CBE in 1982. He was also a member of the United States National Academy of Science. All these accomplishments make him one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists.

In 2005, Stephen Hawking published his book A Brief History of Time. The book instantly became a bestseller. It sold 10 million copies in twenty years. The book is about the big bang of black holes. Hawking explains that black holes are stars that collapsed into one very small point. He proved that black holes emit radiation. Black holes are something that Hawking studied for a while. He describes the universe using general relativity and quantum mechanics.

Throughout his life Stephen Hawking never led his disability hold him back. He always looked at the brighter side of everything and left such an impact on the universe. Hawking said, “Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny.” Although Stephen Hawking is now gone, his legacy and positive impact on the world will go on forever.