Stephen hawking short biography

  Born in the UK in 1942, Hawking’s schooling life started in London, moved to Hertfordshire, to Oxford for his undergraduate, and finally to Cambridge where he completed his PhD and went on to work as a physicist. Hawking was accepted into Oxford with a scholarship at the age of 17, and without mathematics being offered at the time, aka his ideal path, he decided instead to pursue physics and chemistry. Hawking was known to have found the undergraduate work as quote, “ridiculously easy”, and  believes that he only put in an hour or so per day for study, totaling in at around 1000 hours by the end of the three years. Despite this, Hawking graduated with a first class honours before moving to Cambridge University to complete his PhD. It was at this point in his life that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a subtype of motor neuron disease. Motor neuron disease, or MND, is a disease that wreaks havoc upon the body. It attacks the somatic nervous system, i.e. the voluntary system, meaning, the muscles weaken and atrophy over time as a result of not being used. While the diseases rate of progression and severity can vary from individual to individual, some of the early symptoms that can be seen include severe cramps and muscle twitches, difficulty performing simple tasks like walking and holding objects, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. As the disease progresses, further symptoms can arise including respiratory difficulties, stiff joints and muscles, weight loss, insomnia, and cognitive decline in certain cases. While the cause of MND is unknown in more than 90% of cases, roughly 5-10% of them are known to be via individuals inheriting the gene. Hawking was diagnosed with ALS at the young age of 21 and was given a life expectancy by his doctors of only two to three years. And because of this, he came across a serious crossroad in his life. At the time of Hawking’s diagnosis, he was considered to be incredibly intelligent. In fact, despite him believing personally that he was only half as smart as other members in his class, his nickname was Einstein. But with only a few years predicted for him in his future, what was the point in anything? His disease was progressing rapidly, but his doctors had told him to go back to Cambridge and complete his PhD. But What was the point in studying? This situation made Hawking depressed and lost, thinking to himself What if he was dead before he even finished his PhD? However, with his body deteriorating, he did stumble across something that gave him a boost to life: love. Hawking fell in love with a lady by the name of Jane Wild just before being diagnosed in 1963. This gave him a new outlook on life. And with the realisation that he wanted to marry her, he would therefore have to find a job. But if he wanted to find a job, he would therefore have to finish his PhD. So, back to school he went. Unfortunately, however, throughout the next decade, he slowly lost more and more physical abilities. He lost the ability to write, his speech deteriorated substantially, which then lead him to eventually making use of a speech generating device, whereby he would select letters, words, and phrases by a handheld device. The loss of his hand capabilities came in the early 2000s, which then forced him to make use of his cheek muscles on the device. Meaning, he would go from around 15 words per minute to just one per minute, resulting in him taking 30-odd minutes just to construct a couple of sentences. Pushing through well past the initial life expectancy that he was given way back in 1963, Hawking’s disease took its toll on not only his body, but the people around him, too. Despite this, one thing that he, his colleagues, and his carers believed of him was that the loss of his physical capabilities opened up doors in his mind. They believed that his disabilities forced him to think of the universe differently and push his thoughts in directions most other people could not dream to have. After realising that the key to understanding the start of the universe was black holes and the notion of a singularity that lead to a big bang, Hawking published various scientific papers that many of us would have trouble comprehending completely. But coming up with one of the best theories for the beginning of the universe was only the start of Hawking’s forever escalating career. He wrote highly successful books that relayed complicated mathematics and science into words for the general public. He won award after award, had three children, appeared on talk shows, television programs, and overall became a public icon in so many people's lives. 'Your theory of a donut-shaped universe is intriguing, Homer. I may have to steal it.' 'Wow, I can't believe somebody I have never heard of is hanging out with a guy like me.' 'All right, it's closing time, who's paying the tab?' - 'I am.' - 'I didn't say that.' - 'Yes I did.' 'D'oh.' Stephen Hawking will not just be remembered for his knowledge or his consistent push within the scientific community, but also because of his motivation to constantly learn and grow. To spread information to the world as best he could. He will be remembered for his fighting spirit. His humor. His research that paved the way and still does for many of the up and coming scientists out there. At the time of his death on the morning of Wednesday the 14th of March, it was said that Hawking passed away peacefully. And, there's no denying that his name will live on in the history books for years to come. He will be remembered by many generations for what he achieved. And how he showed us all that no matter what cards you were dealt, that you can always make the best out of any situation.