Contents Who Is Stephen Hawking What Was Stephen Hawking's Childhood Like How Did Stephen Hawking Become a Professional Scientist How Did Stephen Hawking’s Career Take Off How Did Stephen Hawking Attract Global Attention What Has Stephen Hawking Achieved How Is Stephen Hawking’s Work Continued Today Timeline Glossary Find Out More Index
Who Is Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking greets the audience at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics
It is the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London England Stephen Hawking probably the most famous living scientist wheels onto the stage Watched by millions of viewers around the globe he launches the event to the ecstatic cheers of the crowd Hawking is known worldwide for his great contribution to cosmology the scientific study of the origin of the universe Just as importantly he has encouraged the general public to take an interest in science Success against the odds Hawking’s success as a scientist and his very survival are against all the odds When he was 21 he was told he had two years to live Yet 50 years later he still goes to work every day at Cambridge University in England helping PhD students discussing ideas with staff and students and working on his own theories Sometimes he is interrupted by a visit from a famous person such as former astronaut Buzz Aldrin one of the first men on the Moon Stephen Hawking was a talented student at Oxford University a top university He continued his studies at Cambridge University and became a cosmologist Hawking made important discoveries about black holes in space and developed a new way of working in cosmology Hawking’s biographers Michael White and John Gribbin have written that He has achieved astounding success by awakening a skeptical doubtful public and an even more skeptical media to the beauty of science a subject at the heart of our society and the future of civilization
What Was Stephen Hawking’s Childhood Like Stephen was the first baby born to Frank and Isobel Hawking on January 8 1942 His parents had both attended Oxford University in England although it was unusual to go to college in the 1930s especially for women After college his father became an expert in tropical diseases while like most women in those days his mother raised the family This shows Stephen Hawking as a schoolboy with his younger sisters Mary and Philippa
