14th March might be the common working day for most of us, but in the history of world, this day will be remembered forever, because at the same day 14th March 1876, a person was born, whose theory of relativity created the sketch of the whole universe. The name of this personality is Albert Einstein.
But on the same day 14th March 2018, there is death of one of the most respected scientist, Stephen Hawking, who is considered the second great scientist of the century after Albert Einstein.
Well-known physicist Stephen Hawking, died at the age of 76 on Wednesday. He became the household name and source of inspiration due to his mental ability and his mind blowing discoveries in the field of Physics.
“We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today,” professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement.
He was born in Oxford on 8 January 1942. When Stephen was 21 years old student, he became paralyzed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a disease of motor neurons which control the voluntary muscles. The doctors gave him 02 years to live but Stephen defeated the death for 55 years with his dedication towards science and his passion.
❝My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus❞ - Interview. New York Times, December 2004
He communicated with the help of movement of his pupil and right cheek. He lived rest of his life on wheelchair since 1970 and made many discoveries.
Infrared sensor was installed on his glasses and attached to a computer. It received pulses from his cheeks and then with the help of voice synthesizer, his uttered words were displayed on the computer screen.
From the beginning of this universe to atom, from black holes to stars, Stephen Hawking researched on lot of things and contributed in the field of physics. He was inspiration for many people of the world.
His famous book:
In 1988, he published his famous book A Brief History of Time, which broke the record and more than 10 million copies were sold worldwide. Thus he got worldwide fame. His successive theories have reformed the modern concepts of Big Bang theory and black holes. On Sunday Times, this book was international bestseller for record 237 weeks.
Due to his amazing mental abilities, he remained mathematics professor for 30 years at Cambridge University. In 2009, he retired and became research director at Centre of Theoretical Cosmology.
Stephen Hawking was a great scientist and an extraordinary human. In physics especially cosmology, his work will always be remembered. His passion for work kept him working continuously despite serious illness. That is why lot of people love him and whole world is in grief over his death.
His great discovery:
He did extensive research on black holes and predicted the radiations from black holes in 1974. These radiations became reality after research later and were named “Hawking Radiations.” Black holes are considered so dense objects in universe that even light can’t escape from them. But Hawking radiations contradicted this concept.Hawking discovered that black holes will eventually explode and die off and small energy packets will release for billions of years.
He was so happy with this discovery that he wished that after his death, his famous formula of Hawking radiation would be engraved on his tombstone.
His Personal Life:
If we talk about personal life of Stephen, it was not good for him. He wrote in his book, “My brief History” that due to illness, it was very difficult for him to work and his two wives left him due to his condition. He has three children and three grandchildren. His daughter Lucy helped him a lot to write many books on physics.
Awards:
Stephen was awarded with 12 honorary degrees. In 1989, he was made Companion of Honour. He received many awards and medals. He was fellow of The Royal Society and member of US National Academ. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2009.
In 2014, a film, “Theory of everything” was made on his life. His last book “The Grand Design” was published in 2010.
Some of his famous Quotes:
“Here are the most important pieces of advice that I’ve passed on to my children. One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is rare and don’t throw it away.”
He predicted that the world would end due to global warming, disaster by large comet or a virus.
"I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers. I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space."
❝We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special❞ - Interview, Der Spiegel, October 1988
❝My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn't prevent you doing well, and don't regret the things it interferes with. Don't be disabled in spirit, as well as physically❞ - Interview, New York Times, May 2011
❝It will take about a thousand million million million million years for the Earth to run into the sun, so there's no immediate cause for worry!❞ - A Brief History Of Time, published 1988
References:
1-Wikipedia
2- http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43396627