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
Who’s who Dikran Tahta 1928 2006 Stephen was inspired by Dikran Tahta his math teacher at St Alban’s school Tahta encouraged his students to think creatively about their subject and take part in lively discussions He later became a mathematics teacher at Exeter University in England A family of thinkers Stephen had two younger sisters Mary and Philippa and an adopted brother named Edward Frank and Isobel gave their children plenty of freedom The house was full of books and the family talked freely about all kinds of subjects Other people thought the Hawkings were a little strange They went on vacations in a brightly painted wooden trailer pulled by a horse and once drove to India in an old car As a child Stephen loved making things When Frank made Mary a dollhouse Stephen put in plumbing and lighting As he later explained he had a passion to understand how things worked from toy trains to the universe Young Stephen often gazed at the sky for hours At the age of 11 he passed an exam that allowed him to go to a special secondary school and he then started as a student at St Alban’s school near London
A teenage scientist As a teenager Stephen’s interest in science grew and he filled his bedroom with metal and wire gadgets He wasn’t interested in rock and roll music like many other young people Instead he and his friends enjoyed reading making complicated board games going on long bike rides and attending classical music concerts This photo shows Stephen enjoying boating in the 1950s a hobby he would later take up at college
