By Pruthvi Khilosia
The world’s most famous genius, inspiration and Einstein-incarnation, has unfortunately passed away peacefully at his home in Cambridge on Wednesday.
Born 300 years after the death of astronomer Galileo Galilei, and dying on Albert Einstein’s birthday (Pi Day), there was no surprise why Hawking was to lead the world forward in its fast evolution.
It almost seemed as Stephen Hawking was immortal. His findings and statement mark in the world of science took away discussions about his personal and growing life and created debate on what his next discovery would be and where he would lead us next.
His diagnosis of an “incurable disease” at the age of 21, which was later found to be Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, affecting his movement and speech, didn’t put him off continuing with his research. Some of his scientific adventures include:
- Being awarded Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen in 1982
- Solving the Black Hole paradox, which has been troubling scientists for years, in the summer of 2004
- Warning us that creating AI might be humanity’s last and deadliest achievement
- Publishing various novels such as Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays (1994) and his memoir My Brief History (2013).
Hawking also participated in a zero-gravity flight in a ‘Vomit Comet,’ courtesy of ‘Zero Gravity Corporation,’ and experienced being weightlessness eight times in 2007.
But, you aren’t a celebrity if you’re not on screen… right? Of course. We’ve all crazed over seeing our favourite stars get a random cameo on TV. Well, so has Hawking. From interviews to real appearances and reenactments, Hawking’s name took to the world of show business too. He appeared on the famous American sitcom, ‘Big Bang Theory’ several times and was dearly missed by the cast.
In 2014, Hawking was portrayed by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything, which is about his researching achievements and his love life with his first wife, Jane Hawking. Redmayne paid tribute to the physicist commenting: “We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet.”
– Zimbio
Other appearances in popular culture include Fairy Odd Parents, Futurama and most famously, The Simpsons.
– I News
Professor Steven Hawking will always be remembered for his impact on our world, his way of thinking and opening up the universe to us down here on earth.
To honour his contribution, several museums and buildings have been named after him. These include Stephen W. Hawking Science Museum in San Salvador, the Stephen Hawking Building in Cambridge, and the Stephen Hawking Centre at the Perimeter Institute in Canada.
For more information about Hawking, his work and life achievements, visit the official Stephen Hawking website.
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