Stephen Hawking – Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change: Birthday Special

The brilliant mind of the 21st century who invented Big Bang Theory and gave science world a new perspective of research, Sir Stephen Hawkins was born on 8th January 1942 in Oxfordshire, England to Frank and Isobel Eileen Hawking.
Isobel worked as a secretary for a medical research institute, and Frank was a medical researcher. Hawking had two younger sisters, Philippa and Mary, and an adopted brother, Edward Frank David.

In 1963, Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease (MND; also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis “ALS” or Lou Gehrig’s disease) that gradually paralysed him over the decades. 

Even after the loss of his speech, he was still able to communicate through a speech-generating device, initially through use of a hand-held switch, and eventually by using a single cheek muscle.

His scientific works included a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorem in the framework of general relativity and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking Radiation.
Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He was a vigorous supporter of the many-world interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Hawking achieved commercial success with several works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general. His book A Brief History of Time appeared on the British Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking was a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

He died on 14 March 2018 at the age of 76, after living with the disease for more than 50 years.