The world-famous theoretical physicist and scientist Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, Great Britain, into a family of doctors. Father Frank was a scientific research activities, Isabel’s mother held the position of secretary of a medical institution, working in the same team with her husband. Steve grew up with two sisters and a half-brother, Edward, who was adopted by the Hawking family.

After graduating from high school, Stephen entered Oxford University, from which he received a bachelor's degree in 1962. Two and a half years later, in 1966, the young man became one of the first Doctors of Philosophy from Trinity Hall College at the University of Cambridge.

Disease

From his early childhood, Stephen was a healthy boy; even in his youth he was not bothered by any illnesses. But in his youth a misfortune happened to him. Young Stephen was diagnosed with a terrible disease - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The diagnosis sounded like a death sentence. Symptoms of the disease developed at tremendous speed. As a result, the future genius of science remained completely paralyzed. Despite this, Stephen Hawking always appears in photographs with a kind smile. Being confined to a wheelchair, Stephen did not stop in his mental development, was engaged in self-education, studied scientific literature, attended seminars. The guy fought every minute. His moral spirit helped him gain permanent membership of the Royal Society of London in 1974.

Pikabu.ru

In 1985, Stephen Hawking underwent surgery on the larynx, which could not be avoided due to complicated pneumonia. Since then, Stephen stopped talking completely, but continued to actively communicate with colleagues using a speech synthesizer developed by his friends - engineers at the University of Cambridge - especially for him.

For some time, Hawking could move his right index finger. But this ability was lost over time. The only facial muscle of the cheek remained mobile. A sensor installed opposite this muscle helped Stephen control a computer with which he could communicate with the people around him.

Despite his serious illness, Stephen Hawking's biography is filled with rosy events, scientific discoveries and achievements. The terrible disease did not break Stephen, it only slightly changed the course of his life. Almost completely paralyzed, Stephen Hawking saw no obstacles in his own illness and led a full, work-filled life.

One day Hawking accomplished a real feat. He agreed to experience the conditions of being in weightless space by flying on a specially equipped aircraft. This event, which occurred in 2007, completely changed Stephen Hawking's view of the world around him. The scientist set himself a goal - to conquer space no later than 2009.

Physics

Stephen Hawking's main areas of expertise are cosmology and quantum gravity. The scientist studied thermodynamic processes occurring in wormholes, black holes and dark matter. A phenomenon that describes and characterizes the “evaporation of black holes” - “Hawking radiation” - is named after him.

In 1974, Stephen and another well-known specialist at the time, Kip Korn, argued about the nature of the Cygnus X-1 space object and its radiation. Stephen, managing to contradict his own research, argued that this object is not a black hole. However, having suffered a defeat, in 1990 he gave the winnings to the winner of the dispute. It should be noted that the bets of the young guys were quite “serious”. Stephen Hawking put his one-year subscription to the erotic glossy magazine Penthouse on the line, and Kip Korn put his four-year subscription to the humorous magazine Private Eye on the line.

NewsMir.info

In 1997, Stephen Hawking made another bet, but this time with Kip Thorne against John Philip Preskill. The controversial debate became the starting point for Stephen Hawking's groundbreaking research, which he presented at a special press conference in 2004. According to John Preskill, there is some information in the waves that black holes emit that cannot be deciphered.

Hawking contradicted this argument, relying on the results of his 1975 research. He argued that the information cannot be deciphered, since it falls into a Universe parallel to our galaxy.

Biographera.net

Later, in 2004, during a press conference in Dublin on the topic of cosmology, Stephen Hawking put forward a new theory about the nature of the black hole. With this conclusion, Hawking was again defeated in the argument, having to admit that his opponent was right. In his theory, the physicist nevertheless proved that information does not disappear without a trace, but one day it will leave the black hole along with thermal radiation.

In 2015, the premiere of the full-length feature film “Stephen Hawking’s Universe” took place, in which the young scientist was played by an outstanding Hollywood actor, who, according to the producers, was ideal for this role. The film sold for quotes that are actively used by British youth.

Elle

The film, directed by James Marsh, contains true story Stephen, talks about his difficult relationship with his first wife Jane Wilde. The young actor, who played the role of the legendary scientist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, received an Oscar for Best Leading Actor after the premiere.

Books

In addition to other merits and achievements in the field of science, Stephen Hawking became famous in another area. He wrote several books that were sold around the world in huge numbers. His first work was a book published in 1988. A work of fiction called " Short story time" remains a bestseller to this day.

The scientist also became the author of the books “Black Holes and Young Universes” and “The World in a Nutshell.” In 2005, he wrote another book, A Brief History of Time, now co-authored with writer Leonard Mlodinow. Together with his daughter, Stephen Hawking wrote and published the children's book “George and the Secrets of the Universe,” which was released in 2006.

Antena 1

At the end of 1998, the scientist compiled a detailed scientific forecast about the fate of humanity for the next millennium. The corresponding report was made at the government house. His arguments sounded quite optimistic. In 2003, the researcher's statement was no longer so encouraging; he advised humanity, without hesitation, to move to other inhabited worlds away from viruses that threaten our survival.

Personal life

In 1965, Stephen Hawking married Jane Wilde, whom he met at a charity event. The girl gave birth to the scientist two sons and a daughter. The personal life of Stephen Hawking and his wife did not work out, and in 1991 they divorced. The official reasons for the divorce were not made public.

Pikabu.ru

Already in 1995, Stephen Hawking married for the second time, to his nurse Elaine Mason, who had been caring for the scientist for a long time. After eleven years of marriage, Hawking also divorced his wife.

KönyvesBlog - Blog.hu

Stephen Hawking's children supported their father in all his affairs and endeavors. In addition to them, the scientist was constantly supported by his close friend, a Hollywood comedy artist, with whom he appeared more than once at evenings and photo shoots for magazines.

Politics and religion

The scientist rejected any theory about the existence of God and was an atheist. Despite this fact, he was blessed by Pope Francis at a special symposium, which took place within the walls of the scientific academy of the papal residence. In terms of political preferences, Stephen Hawking considers himself a Labor member.

In the spring of 1968, the scientist, together with public figure Tariq Ali and film actress Vanessa Redgrave, took part in an action against the Vietnam War.

storm100 - LiveJournal

Later, in the 80s, the scientist supported the ideas of his colleagues about nuclear disarmament, universal healthcare and normalization of the Earth's global climate.

The scientist called the decision of the American president, which led to the war on the territory of the Iraqi Republic in 2003, a crime of military officials. That same year, he supported the boycott of the Israeli conference on issues political power regarding the people of Palestine.

In recent years, Stephen Hawking has been working on new questions of the Universe, giving lectures on physics at the institute, and being engaged in active research.

Death

British media reported that in the early morning of March 14, 2018, at his home. The scientist’s children confirmed this information, stating:

“He once said, ‘The universe wouldn’t have much meaning if it weren’t a home filled with loved ones.’ We will always miss him.”

Physicist Stephen Hawking (disease - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) was born in 1942, on January 8. WITH youth He was passionate about mathematics and physics. In 1962 he graduated from Oxford and received a Bachelor of Arts degree. And after 4 years (in 1966) he was educated at Trinity Hall College, which worked closely with the University of Cambridge. Here he received his Ph.D. Subsequently, he was engaged in teaching at the most reputable universities in the UK and the world until the 80s.

Hawking fame

He gained public fame thanks to his scientific theories about black holes and the Big Bang theory. The physicist has been suffering from a serious illness for many years. Stephen Hawking's disease is called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Distinctive feature This man is not only his phenomenal intelligence, but also his attachment to a wheelchair, which has a built-in speech synthesizer system that responds to muscle impulses.

Stephen Hawking: biography, illness and interesting facts about the life of the British theoretical physicist

The world community is continuously discussing the phenomenon of this man’s illness, and at the same time his genius in the field of science. Films are made about him, he is invited to television shows and asked to appear in some cinematic episodes (one such example is his appearance in the television series “The Big Bang Theory”, where he played himself). However, despite his popularity, many do not know what disease Stephen Hawking has. In fact, this is a rare pathology that leads to complete paralysis of the human body. This is a disease of motor neurons (Charcot's disease, motor neuron disease).

Stephen Hawking: biography, personal life, illness

In 1965, Stephen married Jane Wilde. In 1967, their first child was born - son Robert. Then, in 1970, daughter Lucy was born. And nine years later, a third child was born in the family - son Timothy (b. 1979). All these years, Stephen Hawking's illness did not prevent him from enjoying the relaxed and happy life. However, the couple divorced in 1995 (they had lived separately since 1990). Hawking's second wife was nurse Elaine Mason, with whom he lived until 2006.

What is the strength? In faith and will

In 2012, Stephen Hawking celebrated his anniversary; he then turned 70 years old. A little more than five years have passed since then. Stephen Hawking is a phenomenal person who demonstrates to the whole world his willpower and spontaneous belief in the meaning of life, despite the fact that he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for more than half a century.

As a 21-year-old young man, he heard his terrible diagnosis - ALS. As a rule, Stephen Hawking's illness leaves no chance - people with such a pathology cannot live for more than five years, so the British popularizer of physics did not even hope to celebrate his 25th anniversary. When experts identified a terrible disease, they predicted his imminent death, but Stephen was not going to agree with this and continued his usual life, devoting himself to science every day.

The life of a theoretical physicist before a terrible illness

Before his illness, Stephen Hawking (photo below) was a fanatic of his work. He unprincipledly refuted many established theories about space, putting forward new hypotheses that did not lend themselves to counterarguments. As a twenty-year-old youth, he was intellectually superior to many gray-bearded professors and doctors who enjoyed a good reputation in the scientific world.

The steely character of a genius

Thanks to his stable character and outspoken faith in life, he managed to live for more than half a century, despite medical predictions. Stephen Hawking (the disease is called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) demonstrated to the whole world that by constantly working and training your intellect, you can overcome any obstacles in life. Almost every second person on the planet knows about it. His phenomenal theories and scientific articles open the eyes of the whole world about cosmology. He is often mentioned in scientific television programs, and action-packed films are also made in which his person plays the leading role. One has only to remember the movie called “Stephen Hawking's Universe”, where Eddie Redmayne played the main role, for which he received an Oscar at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015.

How does he communicate with the outside world?

An unsurpassed theoretical physicist devoted his entire life to science. Thanks to him, we can become familiar with the theory of black holes and the nuances of quantum gravity. The man's popularity is explained not only by famous theories, but also by the fact that he has been chained to the world since 1985. wheelchair, and also speaks in a “computer voice” due to the fact that Stephen Hawking’s terrible illness deprived him of the ability to speak.

The diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis led the scientist to the fact that he is forced to communicate with people through a computer program that integrates his thoughts into a “computer voice.” This system was specially developed for the British physicist. Thanks to her, he can tell the whole world about the Big Bang theory and many other discoveries in the field of physics and cosmology.

For a long time, humanity did not understand how a paralyzed individual could transmit his thoughts to a computer, which conveys completely adequate and scientific speech to the public. Such a reaction from society is not at all surprising, because in 1985 there were no such analogues of such computer technology. It turns out that a computer speech synthesizer picks up impulses from his cheek muscle activity, which are translated into human speech. Despite this, he still remains a disabled person who needs continuous help and care. The computer speech produced by Stephen is to some extent reminiscent of Google Translate, but the timbre and manner of presentation are different.

Faithful and grateful cooperation with Intel

There is a known case when Hawking was offered to switch to a more modernized software, which conveys speech better, but the genius of physics refused the tempting offer, deciding that his familiar voice was his calling card, thanks to which he would be recognized all over the world.

As you know, the first speech synthesizer for Hawking was invented and developed by Intel, which is now developing version 2.0. That is why the brilliant popularizer of physics refused the “upgrade” version of third-party developers, because he is grateful for the many years of support from Intel.

Science will surpass any disease

Without dwelling on his helplessness, Stephen has been accustomed to working fruitfully and achieving new results all his life. The scientific community still cannot object to his genius. For thirty years, Stephen Hawking (the disease is called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) served as senior professor of mathematical sciences at the famous and respected University of Cambridge. This fact was admired by the entire scientific community, but no one could have imagined that this achievement was not at all the limit for the British genius - Hawking now holds the position of director of research at the Center for Theoretical Cosmology.

An explanation of Stephen Hawking's longevity, from the point of view of Professor Leo McCluskey

Most patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are diagnosed over the age of 50 (alternatively Lou Gehrig's disease, named after the talented American baseball player who died due to the degenerative disease ALS) and die within five years of being diagnosed with the terrible disease. .

Considering the fact that he was diagnosed at the age of 21, Hawking was lucky to live much longer than people with a similar disease. This phenomenon caused a global resonance among representatives of the medical community. For a long time, many doctors and professors could not understand how Stephen Hawking, whose medical history predicted a fatal outcome, lived to be seventy-five years old, and how the phenomenon of his illness is explained from a scientific point of view.

What features does this degenerative disease have, and why are some parts of the central nervous system are not subject to pathological damage - all these questions tormented world medical experts. However, the famous professor of neurology Leo McCluskey (Rector of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania) put forward an hypothesis about why Stephen Hawking lives so long. Motor neuron disease is a more extensive pathology than previously understood. The fact is that the concept of ALS is not entirely accurate at the moment.

Why do some patients with motor neuron disease live long?

In fact, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis affects more than just motor neurons. Scientific research has found that about 10 percent of patients with ALS have problems with the functional activity of certain parts of the brain (often in the frontal and temporal lobes) that lack motor neurons (in other words, motor neurons).

Despite the fact that Lou Gehrig's disease, as is commonly believed, does not affect the brain regions responsible for the level of mental activity, in medical practice there are cases where patients were diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (in other words, acquired dementia). The life expectancy of patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis directly depends on how long the neurons that are responsible for the periodic movement of the diaphragm, as well as the ventilation function of the respiratory organs (i.e., lungs), work. If these organs become passive, a person develops respiratory failure syndrome, which predicts a quick death. Also, if a person has problems with the swallowing function of the muscles due to ALS, everything can end in death due to hunger or dehydration.

If none of the above happens, then the patient can live quite a lot of years, but his quality of life is noticeably reduced - the person must be periodically examined by doctors, and also undergo a course of medication with a certain frequency.

According to some assumptions, Hawking’s diaphragm (as well as the swallowing function of the muscles) is not impaired, because the disease was detected in an early form. Leo McCluskey says that in his practice there were cases when a similar pathology was identified in some people at the age of 16, and they lived until they were 60-65 years old. Nevertheless, there is still no naturally confirmed explanation (from a medical point of view) for their longevity.

Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, UK. The father of the future scientist, Frank, was engaged in research at the medical center in Hampstead, and his mother, Isabel, worked in the same center as a secretary. In addition, the Hawking couple also had two daughters, Philip and Mary. The Hawkings adopted another child, Edward.

Biography of scientist Stephen Hawking

Hawking graduated from the university in his native Oxford with a bachelor's degree in 1962. In 1966 he acquired academic degree Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), graduating from Trinity Hall College at the University of Cambridge.

In the early 60s, Hawking was diagnosed with a disease - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - which began to progress rapidly and soon led to complete paralysis. In 1965, Stephen Hawking married Jane Wilde, who bore him two sons and a daughter.

In 1974, Stephen Hawking received permanent membership in the Royal Society of London for the Advancement of Natural Knowledge.

In 1985, Hawking underwent throat surgery, after which the scientist almost completely lost the ability to speak. Since then, the scientist has been communicating using a speech synthesizer, which was developed for him and given to him by friends. Also, slight mobility remained for some time in the index finger on right hand scientist. But soon only one of the facial muscles of the cheek remained mobile in Hawking’s body; Through a sensor installed opposite this muscle, Stephen Hawking controls a special computer that allows the scientist to communicate with those around him.

Stephen Hawking predicted the end of the world

In 1991, Hawking divorced his first wife, and in 1995 he married a woman who had previously been the scientist’s nurse, Elaine Manson, and was married to her until October 2006 (11 years), after which he divorced his second wife ..

The almost complete paralysis of Hawking's body is not an obstacle for a scientist who prefers to lead rich life. So, in April 2007, Stephen Hawking experienced the conditions of flight in zero gravity, traveling on a special aircraft, and in 2009 he was even planning to fly into space.

According to the scientist, it is interesting that he, being a professor of mathematics, does not have the appropriate mathematical education. Even as a teacher at Oxford, he had to go through the textbook from which his students studied, being only a few weeks ahead of their knowledge.

Stephen Hawking and “bet” discoveries

The field in which Stephen Hawking the scientist was realized is cosmology and quantum gravity. The main achievements in these areas include the study of thermodynamic processes occurring in black holes, the discovery of the so-called. “Hawking radiation” (a phenomenon developed by Hawking in 1975, which describes the “evaporation” of black holes), putting forward an opinion on the process of information disappearance inside black holes (in a report dated July 21, 2004).

Stephen Hawking warned humanity

Stephen Hawking and another scientist, Kip Thorne, made a bet in 1974. The subject of dispute was the nature of a space object called Cygnus X-1 and its radiation. Thus, Hawking, contradicting his own research, insisted that the object was not a black hole. Admitting defeat, in 1990 Hawking gave the winnings to the winner. It's funny that the scientists' stakes were quite piquant. Hawking put a year's edition of the erotic magazine "Penthouse" against a 4-year subscription to the satirical magazine "Private eye".

Another bet that Hawking made in 1997, already paired with K. Thorne, against Professor J. Preskill, served as the impetus for the scientist’s revolutionary research and report in 2004. Thus, Preskill believed that there was some information in the waves emitted by black holes, but people were unable to decipher it. To which Hawking objected, relying on his own research in 1975, that such information is not possible to detect, because she ends up in a Universe parallel to ours. In 2004, at a conference on cosmology in Dublin, Hawking presented to scientists a new revolutionary theory about the nature of the black hole, admitting that his opponent Preskill was right. In his theory, Hawking concluded that in black holes information did not disappear without a trace, but was significantly distorted, and one day it would leave the hole along with radiation.

Hawking - popularizer of science

Stephen Hawking is also known as an active popularizer of science. His first popular science work was the book “A Brief History of Time” (1988), which is still a bestseller.

In 2005, the popular scientist republished his “A Brief History...”, inviting Leonard Mlodinow as a co-author. The book was published under the title “A Brief History of Time.” In collaboration with his daughter Lucy, Hawking published the popular science book for children “George and the Secrets of the Universe” (2006).

The scientist also gave a lecture at the White House in 1998. There he gave a scientifically quite optimistic forecast for humanity for the next 1000 years. Statements in 2003 were less inspiring, in which he advised humanity to immediately move to other inhabited worlds to avoid viruses that threaten our survival.

Stephen Hawking Awards

Stephen Hawking was awarded for his scientific research a huge amount awards and prizes, such as: Einstein Medal (1979), Order of the British Empire (1982), Order of the Knights of Honor (1989), Fundamental Physics Prize (2013) and many others.

Death

On March 14, 2018, Stephen Hawking passed away. He was 76 years old. He died at his home in Cambridge. The scientist's three children: Lucy, Robert and Tim, made the following statement:

English theoretical physicist Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, UK.

He graduated from Oxford University in 1962 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics, and in 1966 received a PhD from Trinity Hall College, Cambridge University.

In 1963, Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an incurable degenerative neuromuscular disease. According to doctors, he had about two years to live. However, he continued to work despite his progressive illness.

In 1965, Stephen Hawking began studying scientific research at the University of Cambridge at Gonville and Keyes College. In 1968-1972 he worked at the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy, in 1972-1973 - at the Institute of Astronomy, in 1973-1975 - at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, in 1975-1977 he taught the theory of gravity, in 1977-1979 he was professor of gravitational physics.

In 1979, Stephen Hawking became Professor of Mathematics and Lucasian Professor at the University of Cambridge (a named professorship at the University of Cambridge, one of the most prestigious academic positions in the world), a position he held until 2009.

In 2009-2014, he was scientific director of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.

In 1988, he received the Wolf Foundation Prize for his research on black holes (together with theoretical physicist Roger Penrose).

Professor Hawking is the recipient of many awards and has twelve honorary titles, including Fellow of the Royal Society of London (1974), Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (1986), Member of the US National Academy of Sciences (1992).

Stephen Hawking is involved in the popularization of science. In 1988, he published a popular summary of his research in the book A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, which became an international bestseller.

Hawking is the author of a number of other popular books on cosmology, including Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays (1993), The Universe in a Nutshell, 2001), “The Grand Design and My Brief History” (The Grand Design and My Brief History, 2010, co-authored with American physicist Leonard Mlodinow).

Popular science films with his participation were released on television: “Stephen Hawking's Universe” (1997), “Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking” (2010), “The Grand Design according to Stephen Hawking” " (Stephen Hawking's Grand Design, 2012), etc.
Hawking voiced himself in the popular animated series "The Simpsons" and "Futurama", and starred in episodes of popular TV series.

Several documentaries have been made about the scientist’s life path.

Stephen Hawking was married twice and has three children.

Based on the memoirs of the scientist's first wife, Jane Hawking, Traveling to Infinity: My life with Stephen (2007), the feature film The Theory of Everything (2014) was shot. British actor Eddie Redmayne received an Oscar for his role as the famous physicist.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Even if you do not head a special department for the development of advanced theories in physics, you have probably heard of the famous physicist Stephen Hawking. He is best known, of course, for the fact that, firstly, he has a brilliant mind and a paralyzed body, secondly, he popularizes complex science, and thirdly, the bestseller “A Brief History of Time.”

We have previously written in more detail about whether Hawking is mostly a robot or a human, now let’s go through the ten most interesting facts about the famous physicist.

Many people find it surprising that despite writing great works, Hawking has not yet received a Nobel Prize. Others say that Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, and that day was the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death. But this is a warm-up, there are more interesting things:

Today we know that Hawking has a brilliant mind and works on theories that are very difficult for the average person to understand. So it may surprise you to learn that Hawking was a slacker in school.

When he was 9 years old, his grades were among the worst in his class. With a little push, Hawking raised his scores to average, but not higher.

However, from early childhood he was interested in how everything around him worked. I took apart the clock and radio. However, according to Hawking himself, it was not possible to put them back together.

Despite the poor grades, peers and teachers suspected that a genius was growing up among them, as evidenced by Hawking's nickname, which he was given at school - Einstein. Due to low grades at school, another problem arose: his father wanted to send Hawking to Oxford, but there was no money without a scholarship. Luckily, when it came to the scholarship exams, Stephen got a perfect score in physics.

Stephen Hawking had a liking for mathematics from an early age and wanted to know it perfectly. But his father Frank had a different point of view. He wanted to see Stephen as a doctor.

For all his interest in science, Stephen was not at all interested in biology. He said it was “too imprecise, too descriptive.” And he would rather devote his mind to clearer and more verified ideas.

However, Oxford did not have a mathematics department. A compromise was found as follows: Hawking entered Oxford to study physics.

But even as a physicist, he focused on big questions. When faced with a choice between elementary particles and studying their behavior and cosmology, Hawking chose to study the universe. Cosmology was barely recognized as a full-fledged science, but this did not stop the young genius from choosing this path. Particle physics, Hawking said, “was like botany. There are particles, but no theory."

Biographer Christine Larsen wrote that Hawking was isolated and unhappy during his first year at Oxford. But everything changed when he joined the rowing team.

Long before Hawking was struck by a disease that almost completely paralyzed him, the scientist could hardly be called an athlete. But the rowing team needed small people to play the role of helmsmen, who do not row, but control the steering and the pace.

And since rowing was important and popular for the Oxford people, Hawking's role made him popular. One member of the rowing team called him "the adventurous type."

However, being involved in rowing training six days a week, Hawking began to "mow" his studies. “Cutting serious corners” and using “creative analysis for lab work.”

As a graduate student, Stephen Hawking began experiencing symptoms of fatigue and clumsiness. The family became concerned, and one Christmas holiday they insisted he see a doctor.

Before meeting the doctor, Hawking celebrated New Year and met his future wife, Jane Wilde. She recalls that what attracted her to Hawking was his “sense of humor and independent personality.”

A week later he turned 21, and a little later he was admitted to the hospital for a two-week examination. There he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. This neurological disease, as a result of which the patient gradually loses control over the muscles. Doctors said that he only had a few years to live.

Hawking remembers being shocked and wondering why this happened to him. But when I met a boy in the hospital dying of leukemia, I realized that there are worse things.

Hawking became optimistic and began dating Jane. They soon moved in together, and according to Hawking, he had “something to live for.”

One of Hawking's major achievements (which he shared with Jim Hartle) was the development of the theory that the universe has no boundaries in 1983.

In 1983, trying to understand the nature and shape of the Universe, Hawking and Hartley, using concepts of quantum mechanics and general theory Einstein's relativity showed that the Universe has content, but no boundaries.

To visualize this, people need to imagine the Universe as the surface of the Earth. Being on a sphere, we can go in any direction and will never reach a corner, edge or border where we can confidently say: “That's it. End". However, the fundamental difference is that the Earth's surface is two-dimensional (more precisely, its surface), while the Universe has four dimensions.

Hawking explains that spacetime is like the latitude lines of the globe. Starting from the North Pole (the beginning of the Universe) and moving south, the circle grows to the equator, and then decreases. This means that the Universe is finite in space-time and will one day collapse - but not before 20 billion years. Does this mean that time itself will go in the opposite direction? Hawking raised this question, but decided not to, because there was no reason to believe that the principle of entropy, that is, the tendency of ordered energy to become chaotic, would change in the opposite direction.

In 2004, the brilliant Hawking admitted that he was wrong and lost a bet that he made in 1997 with a scientist he knew.

everywhere is huge. Their large mass generates powerful gravity. As the nuclear fuel inside the star burns, energy is released outward, counteracting gravity. But when a star “burns up,” gravity becomes so powerful that the star collapses, folding in on itself, giving birth to a black hole.

Gravity is so powerful that even light cannot escape the black hole. However, in 1975, Hawking stated that black holes are not black. On the contrary, they radiate energy. In this case, the data disappears into a black hole, which eventually evaporates. The problem is that this idea, that information disappears in a black hole, contradicts quantum mechanics and creates what Hawking called the “information paradox.”

American theoretical physicist John Preskill disagreed with the conclusion that information is lost in a black hole. In 1997, he made a bet with Hawking, arguing that information simply could not leave her, which did not contradict the laws of quantum mechanics.

Hawking, like a good athlete, admitted that he was wrong - in 2004. At a scientific conference, a scientist said that because black holes have more than one “topology,” and when one accommodates the information released from all the topologies, it is not lost.

During his long career in physics, Hawking accumulated an impressive number of awards and honors. It’s unlikely that they will not be replenished with new ones, but let’s go through what already exists.

In 1974 he was admitted to the Royal Society (the royal academy of science in Great Britain, founded in 1660), and a year later Pope Paul VI awarded him and Roger Penrose the Pius XI Gold Medal of Science. Stephen Hawking also received the Albert Einstein Prize and the Hughes Medal from the Royal Society.

Hawking established himself so well in the scientific community that in 1979 he was appointed professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge in England, a position he would hold for the next 30 years. This position was once held by Sir Isaac Newton.

In 1980 he was made a Commander of the British Empire, which comes second in honor to knighthood. He also became an Honorary Member of the society, which has no more than 65 members at a time who have distinguished themselves before the nation.

In 2009, Hawking received the highest civilian honor in the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Although Hawking was awarded at least 12 honorary degrees, Nobel Prize eludes him.

One of the least expected facts about Stephen Hawking's life is that he is a children's author. In 2007, Stephen and his daughter Lucy Hawking co-authored George's Secret Key to the Universe.

This is a fantasy story about a boy, George, who goes against his parents' rejection of technology. The boy begins to make friends with a physicist neighbor who has the most powerful computer in the world and can open portals to outer space.

Of course, much of the book is devoted to explaining heavy scientific concepts, such as black holes and the origin of life, in simple children's language. Hence Hawking’s fame as a popularizer, who always sought to explain his works in accessible language.

The second part of the book was published in 2009 under the title "George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt."

Given Hawking's knowledge of cosmology, people are extremely interested in why the great scientist believes that we are not alone in the Universe. At NASA's 50th anniversary in 2008, Hawking was given the floor and shared his thoughts on this matter.

The cosmologist noted that given the size of the Universe, the existence of even primitive, and perhaps intelligent, life is quite acceptable.

"Primitive life is very common," Hawking said. - “Reasonable is a rarity.”

Of course, Hawking did not do without sarcasm: “Some might say that life originated on Earth.” However, he cautioned that alien life may not have originated from DNA, and we may not be immune to alien diseases.

Hawking believes aliens could use resources own planet and "become nomads, conquering and colonizing every planet they can reach." Or they could create a system of mirrors, focus the sun's energy on one point and create a wormhole for travel through space-time.

In 2007, when Hawking was 65 years old, he realized his lifelong dream. He experienced zero gravity and floated in a special chair, thanks to the Zero Gravity company. The corporation provides a service in which people flying on a plane that rises and descends sharply can experience a state of weightlessness for about 25 seconds over several rounds.

Hawking, freed from a wheelchair for the first time in decades, was even able to perform a gymnastic somersault. But the most interesting thing in all this is not what he was able to do, but why. When asked why he needed this flight, he, of course, noted his desire to go to space. But the reasons are much deeper.

Due to the possibility of global warming or nuclear war, as Hawking noted, the future of the human race may involve a long flight through outer space. Hawking supports private space exploration (like Elon Musk and SpaceX) in the hope that space tourism will soon become a public domain. And we will be able to travel to other planets to survive. By the way, the smallest exoplanet was discovered not so long ago. Perhaps someday there will be human cities on it.