BIOGRAPHY OF STEPHEN HAWKING

Stephen Hawking is a brilliant British scientist - theoretical physicist, the founder of quantum cosmology, the chief expert of our time in the study of the universe, and the most authoritative expert in the study of black holes and the principles of quantum gravity.

The life of this amazing person is an example of incredible vitality and fortitude which allowed him, almost completely paralyzed, not only to make sensational scientific discoveries but also to remain a full member of society.

CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY

 Stephen Hawking's parents were once wealthy families that went bankrupt due to the financial crisis of the 20s. Despite their regimen financial situation, both studied at Oxford University, although they did not intersect within the walls of the university: Frank Hawking studied medicine, and Isobel Walker, the daughter of a doctor, became one of the first women who achieved the right to higher education in such a prestigious university and studied philosophy, political sciences, and economics.

After graduation, Isobel changed several jobs, but all of them could not be compared to the prestigious positions that, as a rule, were received by men who graduated from Oxford. After working as a tax inspector and hate this job, the woman left everything and got a job as a secretary at the Hampstead Medical Research Institute. So she met her future husband, Dr. Frank Hawking, who specialized in tropical diseases.

                                        

Isobel was in her last month of pregnancy when the couple decided to move from north London, which was regularly bombed by the Germans, to the calmer Oxford, which Germany, along with Cambridge, promised not to bomb in exchange for a promise from Britain not touch Germany's main universities.

A week before the birth, Isobel wandered through the streets of Oxford and, going into a bookstore, on some inexplicable impulse bought an atlas of the starry sky. In the future, she regarded this act as a sign that foreseen the achievements of her child. As well as the fact that Stephen was born on the 300th birthday of the death of Galileo Galilei, the inventor of the telescope.

Stephen was born on January 8, 1942, the first of Frank and Isobel's four children. In addition to Stephen, his two sisters Mary and Philip, as well as his adopted son Edward, were growing up in the family. In the 50s, the father of the family headed the chair of parasitology at the National Institute for Medical Research, and the Hawkings moved to St. Albans, Hertfordshire.

The townspeople considered the Hawkings to be clever, but eccentric people. Family members dined into deathly silence: everyone read something while eating. They lived in an old, large, but by no means spacious house, cluttered with all kinds of rubbish and in need of repair. Frank had a model car that was a taxi in the past.

The father dreamed of sending his son to the prestigious Westminster Boarding School, but the education was too expensive. Stephen was among the applicants for a grant, but on the day of the examinations, he fell ill and was eventually forced to attend a regular city school.

Stephen grew up as an inquisitive and savvy child He liked to feel like a winner, in checkers and chess, he had no equal. Parents devoted a lot of time and effort to the intellectual development of their children, there were many books in the house, and conversations were frequently held about theology and the laws of the universe. The Hawkings taught their offspring to think large and always get to the bottom of things, not trusting other people's value judgments. There were no taboo topics in the family, and issues of sexual relations, non-traditional orientation, and unwanted pregnancy were openly discussed with children, which was quite unusual for Prim Conservative England.

As a teenager, Stephen developed and assembled his first computer with friends, which, although it was the size of a fridge, solved binary logic problems. But at school, the young man was far from being the best student, although his classmates nicknamed him Einstein. Stephen had little desire to waste his precious time on lessons and most of the subjects bored him He was more interested in self-education, solving complex logic problems, or simply staring at the starry sky for hours, sitting with his mother in the backyard and thinking about the mysteries of the universe.

EDUCATION

After graduating from high school, the young man faced the question of his future occupation. His father insisted on medical education, but Stephen was closer to mathematics, natural science, and physics.

At the age of 17, the young man easily entered the famous Oxford University, which his parents graduated from at the time, started to study physics, and soon became one of the best students on the course.

Studying was easy for him; In addition, Steve had a great sense of humor and was the soul of any youth company.

Hawking later estimated that during his three years at Oxford he only attended classes for a thousand hours (about one hour a day), but he was still considered an outstanding student with a deep intellect and an unusually developed outlook.

DISEASE

In 1962 Stephen graduated from Oxford with honors and entered the University of Cambridge to complete his Ph.D. By this time, he had already started to show the signs of a terrible disease, which soon radically changed his life and made Hawking an invalid.

At first, the young man began to notice that his movements became confused and unbalanced, then he began to faint, after which he could not come to his senses For some time he managed to hide his health problems from his family, but the disease progressed, and it soon became apparent to everyone that he was seriously ill.

The examination revealed that Stephen, at 22, was developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as a motor neuron disease, leading to complete paralysis and imminent death.

Doctors gave young Hawking 2 years to live. The conclusion of doctors plunged the young man into a state of deep depression, he withdrew into himself and did not communicate with anyone, and the whole family was shocked by what was happening.

Stephen was just about to marry Jane Wilde; he was destined for a great future. And now rainbow plans have collapsed before our eyes. Stephen was depressed and did not know what to do. He no longer saw the point in continuing scientific research, a Ph.D. also seemed to him unnecessary and useless. Hawking heard to Wagner for days and prepared for imminent death, but fate decided otherwise and gave him the opportunity to return to a full life, albeit in a wheelchair, to which Stephen was chained in 1969.

Jane was afraid of the diagnosis. On July 14, 1965, they got married, and two years later, their first child, Robert, was born. The wife became Stephen a true friend, faithful companion, and loving wife.

Jane was afraid of the diagnosis. On July 14, 1965, they got married, and two years later, their first child, Robert, was born. The wife became Stephen a true friend, faithful companion, and loving wife.

The prospect of dying made me realize that life is worth living.

Hawking continued his study and received a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge. In 1966, my essay on the singularity "Singularities and the Geometry of Space-Time" won the Adams Prize, which is given to the best young mathematicians in Britain.

The couple had to endure many difficult moments together in 1985, Stephen became seriously ill with pneumonia and, after a tracheostomy, almost completely lost the ability to speak. For communication, a special computer with a speech synthesizer was installed in his wheelchair. At first, Hawking controlled it with the finger of his right hand, and when he completely atrophied, he controlled it with the cheek muscle, to which a special sensor was attached.

Falling in love and engagement has become a powerful motivation for Hawking - he needed to get a doctorate and find a good job in order to support his family. However, the material side of the issue has been always in second place. The scholar has said more than once that interest in exploring the secrets of our universe means incommensurably more to him than any awards and money. He resumed his research on the Big Bang Scientific substantiations of the possible origin of the universe helped the young scientist not only successfully defend his thesis but also receive a grant for further research.

 CAREER AND SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES

 Hawking's professional reputation was so high that after graduation from Cambridge, Stephen was offered a job at Gonville and Keys College, one of the branches of the University of Cambridge.

In the 70s, his career gained momentum - Hawking taught at the departments of applied mathematics, astrology, and theoretical physics, did research in the field of "black holes" and the origin of the universe and wrote many scientific works that were awarded in the field of cosmology and astronomical physics. In 1970, the scientist discovered what is now called the “second law of black hole physics” - for any classical processes, the surface area of a black hole and, therefore, its entropy does not decrease.

The main enemy of knowledge is not disregarded at all, but the illusion of knowledge.

In 1973, Hawking’s first book (co-authored with George Ellis) The Large-Scale Structure of Space-Time saw the light of day. On 384 pages, the scientist outlined his view on the nature of black holes and the infinity of the universe.

A year later, Stephen described in detail the electromagnetic radiation, due to which “black holes” decay and cease to exist. In 1975, this phenomenon was called "Hawking radiation."

Often, his discoveries have shocked the scientific community, but over time it has become clear that his theories not only have the right to exist but are also confirmed by the research of other scientists. Several times Stephen made a bet with his opponents, but he didn't always come out as the winner. To Hawking's credit, he was always able to confess his mistakes, which made him continue to search for the truth with even greater zeal.

In 1974, the scientist became one of the youngest members of the Royal Society of London, and five years later, Lukasovsky Professor at Cambridge University. For more than twenty years, Hawking led a group dealing with the theory of relativity and the principles of gravity, in 2007 he established the Center for Theoretical Cosmology at Cambridge.

Stephen Hawking visited the Soviet Union several times: in 1973 he discussed the problem of “black holes” in Moscow with leading Russian physicists Zeldovich and Starobinsky, and in 1981 he took part in an international seminar on quantum gravity.

In 1981, during a conference in the Vatican, Hawking presented his work, in which he noted that the universe is probably endless. A few years later, Stephen, along with James Hartle, refuted the concept of the birth of the universe in the ordinary sense. In their opinion, the universe had no beginning, it was singular in space and time even before the Big Bang, it has no beginning, just as there is no end.

Perceiving the universe as a quantum particle, Hawking and Hartle proposed that the cosmos is shaped like a shuttlecock, expanding ascending from zero diameters at its lowest point, and derived the formula for the wave function of the universe, enclosing the totality of all possible universes.

Hawking's outstanding contribution to science has been recognized by many honorary awards, including the Order of the British Empire, the Order of the Knights of Honor, the Pius XI Gold Medal awarded by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and other orders and medals from various countries.

POPULARIZATION OF SCIENCE AND FORECASTS FOR THE FUTURE

The scholar admitted that his first large-scale work (“Large-scale structure of space-time”) turned out to be too difficult for even a trained reader to perceive. At the same time, Stephen was anxious to share his discoveries with the public, he considered the popularization of science the most important contribution to the development of civilization.

He wrote and published more than two dozen books, which were sold around the world in enormous editions. Among them, there are many books for children, written in a simple, accessible language. In 1988, he published the popular science work A Brief History of Time, which has been now translated into 40 languages. It explains string theory and the Big Bang in a way that is accessible to the lay reader.

Hawking also participated actively in the creation of documentaries that reveal the secret of the origin of the universe and other worlds. The most famous is Stephen Hawking’s Universe (1997), Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking (2010), Stephen Hawking’s Grand Design (2012), and Stephen Hawking’s Science (2014). In the latter, the scientist shares his thoughts on the future of earthly civilization, which, in his opinion, is in grave danger.

Stephen saw the main threats in global climate change, an impending nuclear catastrophe, as well as in the spread of new grown viruses in secret laboratories on the planet.

Hawking was considered uncontrolled research in the field of genetics and artificial intelligence, which could lead to irreversible consequences, as another risk factor. Along with Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, the scientist wrote an open letter addressed to the governments of leading countries, calling for a ban on the development of killer robots and an end to the arms race.

Stephen saw many options for the death of the planet and by 2600 predicted the complete death of the earth's civilization Proceeding from this, he called now to start looking for a new home for future generations and, before it's too late, to explore outer space. He was sure that we are not alone in the Universe, although he assumed that the meeting of the earthlings with aliens could carry certain risks.

Hawking has appeared onscreen more than once, starring in feature films, TV series, and commercials. His film debut took place in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series and the scholar can also be seen in several episodes of the cult TV series The Big Bang Theory. In addition, Stephen became the hero of popular cartoons (The Simpsons, Futurama), the characters of which speak in his voice Hawking’s unusually synthesized voice also sounds in some of the musical compositions of the pink Floyd group.

In 2014, the world premiere of the feature film Stephen Hawking’s Universe, based on the memories of his first wife Jane, took place. The role of the scientist was played by British actor Eddie Redmayne, for this work he was awarded an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and many other prestigious film awards.

STEPHEN HAWKING'S PERSONAL LIFE

In spite of their severe disability, Hawking has always remained an active person, living a full life. He traveled a lot, gave talks and lectures all over the world, and even flew off in conditions close to weightlessness. Stephen was married twice, he left three children behind.

Hawking’s first wife was the philologist Jane Wilde, whom he met while studying at Oxford at one of the student parties. The lovers got married in 1965 and two years later they had their first child, Robert (1967). Jane gave birth to two more children to Stephen - daughter Lucy (1970) and son Timothy (1979) - for twenty-five years she was his faithful friend and devoted fellow.

At first, it seemed to her that together they would be able to overcome all difficulties, but Hawking's disease progressed, and it was increasingly difficult for a woman to cope with raising children and her husband's serious disease. She had to surround Stephen with a whole staff of nurses, and given that most of the time he was immersed in his scientific research Jane at some point felt lonely and unnecessary. In 1990, the couple divorced but managed to maintain friendly relations.

In 1995, Stephen married his caregiver, Elaine Mason, whom he lived with for ten years, and divorced in 2006. His children disliked their stepmother, their words even got into the press that they found traces of physical abuse on the body of their father, which Elaine allegedly Steven never confirmed this information.

After the divorce, he was not left alone, the children always tried to be there, and colleagues and students provided all possible assistance. One of the close friends of the scientist was the famed Hollywood comedian Jim Carrey

DEATH

Stephen Hawking died on March 13, 2018, at his house in Cambridge, surrounded by family and friends, he was 76 years old. The ashes of the scientist were buried within the territory of Westminster Abbey, between the graves of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. At the time of the burial, a special radio signal was sent from the satellite dish of the European Space Agency in the direction of the nearest "black hole" with the message of the dead, which symbolized his old dream to conquer outer space.

The funeral service was held to the music from the movie "Chariots of Fire", written by the Greek composer Vangelis, in addition to relatives, friends, and colleagues, the funeral ceremony was attended by British astronaut Timothy Peake and popular actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hawking in the BBC TV series.

Stephen Hawking's tombstone is engraved with the inscription: "Here lies what was the mortal shell of Stephen Hawking from 1942 to 2018" as well as an equation he derived that describes the entropy of a black hole.