About
Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) was a British theoretical physicist and cosmologist. Born in Oxford, he studied at University College, Oxford, and earned his PhD in cosmology at Cambridge in 1966. He held the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at Cambridge from 1979 to 2009. With Roger Penrose, he developed singularity theorems showing the universe began with the Big Bang. In 1974, he discovered that black holes emit thermal radiation, now known as Hawking radiation. His book 'A Brief History of Time' (1988) became an international bestseller. Diagnosed with ALS in 1963, he lived with the disease for over 50 years. He received numerous honors, including the Copley Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Major works
- A Brief History of Time (1988)popular science book
- The Universe in a Nutshell (2001)popular science book
- The Grand Design (2010)popular science book
Key milestones
- 1974Discovered black hole radiation, now known as Hawking radiation.
- 1979Appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, a chair once held by Isaac Newton.
- 1988Published 'A Brief History of Time', an international bestseller.
Themes
CosmologyBlack holesOrigin of the universeTimeScience popularization
Sources: cam.ac.uk · pas.va