Stephen Hawking

Biography

Diagnosed with ALS at 21 and given two years to live, Hawking instead completed his PhD and showed that black holes emit radiation — now called Hawking radiation. A Brief History of Time (1988) spent years on bestseller lists and made him science's most recognisable public figure.

English theoretical physicist who transformed the science of black holes while living for 55 years with motor neurone disease.

Known for

Black hole radiation and A Brief History of Time.

Notable works & defining projects

• A Brief History of Time
• Hawking radiation
• The Universe in a Nutshell

Notable achievements

• Proposed that black holes emit radiation ('Hawking radiation', 1974), uniting quantum theory and relativity
• A Brief History of Time (1988) sold over 10 million copies and spent years on bestseller lists
• Held Cambridge's Lucasian Professorship — once held by Newton — from 1979 to 2009

Timeline

1. 1963Diagnosed with motor neurone disease while a PhD student
2. 1974Published the theory of Hawking radiation
3. 1988A Brief History of Time became a global phenomenon

Did you know?

• He was born on the anniversary of Galileo's death and died on Einstein's birthday, 14 March — also Pi Day
• He experienced zero gravity on a parabolic flight in 2007, aged 65