Stephen Hawking was regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history. He was considered the brightest brain in the league of Albert Einstein. He must be probably the only scientist after Carl Sagan, whose books were popular among even the non-scientists. His best-selling books have appealed to readers who may not have Hawking's scientific background. One of his popular science book on cosmology, “A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes” became a bestseller and sold more than 10 million copies in 20 years. It was also on the London Sunday Times bestseller list for more than five years and was translated into 35 languages by 2001.
Writing a best seller or a book which is popular and is comprehended by non-scientists could be great but may not be a big deal. But “Brief History of Time” was most certainly a big deal. It was an extraordinary feat because Stephen Hawking was completely immobile except for few muscles on his face which he could only twitch, he spoke through a synthesized voice and was permanently on a wheel chair, which was his workstation as well, his laboratory was his brain, he was suffering from ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), form of Motor Neurone Disease also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. In ALS, nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control movement stop functioning.
Stephen was diagnosed with ALS in 1963, shortly after his 21st birthday. He was not expected to live more than two years. Completing his doctorate did not appear likely. Yet, Hawking defied the odds, not only attaining his Ph.D. but also forging new roads into the understanding of the universe in the decades since.
As the disease spread, Hawking became less mobile and began using a wheelchair. Talking grew more challenging and, in 1985, an emergency tracheotomy caused his total loss of speech. A speech-generating device constructed at Cambridge, combined with a software program, served as his electronic voice, allowing Hawking to select his words by moving the muscles in his cheek.
Just before his diagnosis, Hawking met Jane Wilde, and the two were married in 1965. The couple had three children before separating. Hawking remarried in 1995 but divorced in 2006.
Hawking continued at Cambridge after his graduation, serving as a research fellow and later as a professional fellow. In 1974, he was inducted into the Royal Society, a worldwide fellowship of scientists. In 1979, he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, the most famous academic chair in the world (the second holder was Sir Isaac Newton, also a member of the Royal Society).
Stephen Hawking is an example of grit, conviction, courage and belief in purpose of life. His life underlines the statement that life is a matter of choice, rest everything is commentary. No one would have blamed him, if he stopped working, but he decided otherwise, did not allow the serious challenge of ALS deter him. Rather he became more productive and went on to write other nonfiction books aimed at non-scientists. These include, "A Briefer History of Time," "The Universe in a Nutshell," "The Grand Design" and "On the Shoulders of Giants."
He and his daughter, Lucy Hawking, also created a fictional series of books for middle school children on the creation of the universe, including "George and the Big Bang".
Hawking made several television appearances, including a playing hologram of himself on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and a cameo on the television show "Big Bang Theory." PBS presented an educational miniseries titled "Stephen Hawking's Universe," which probes the theories of the cosmologist.
Hawking believed adoptability being one of the greatest attributes that human beings may have, he said "Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change."
Hawking proved that if you have conviction and belief you can achieve almost anything. In an interview with Piers Morgan on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Hawking reiterated – “My ultimate ambition is to fly into space. I thought no one would take me, but Richard Branson has offered me a seat on Virgin Galactic, and I said yes immediately.”
Though Hawking could never go to the real space but in 2007, he flew into zero gravity aboard a specially-modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft. Hawking was always looking for more challenges and was not contented with achievement, wrote on Facebook in November 2014.
"I travel widely and have been to Antarctica and Easter Island, down in a submarine and up on a zero-gravity flight. One day, I hope to go into space."
On March 14, 2018, Hawking finally succumbed to the disease that was supposed to have killed him more than 50 years earlier.
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