The Passing of Stephen Hawking-the Science Legend of Our Time

Regarded as one of the world’s most brilliant minds, Stephen Hawking died peacefully at home early Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Cambridge, England, after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for more than 55 years.

As one of Isaac Newton's successors as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, Hawking was involved in the search for the great goal of physics — a "unified theory," a subject previously pursued by Albert Einstein. Such a theory would resolve the contradictions between Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which describes the laws that govern large celestial bodies like planets and stars, and Quantum Mechanics, which deals with the elusive behaviors of subatomic particles.

With interest in singularities, Hawking was deeply intrigued by black holes as well. His subsequent work in this area eventually led to the revelation that black holes have a temperature and produce radiation, now known as Hawking radiation, a discovery which had profound implications for mathematical physics and laid the foundation for string theory.

To most people outside of the realm of science, Hawking is best-known for his international bestseller A Brief History of Time, his personal story depicted in the movie The Theory of Everything, and his appearance in popular television programs ranging from the Simpsons to The Big Bang Theory. He is considered one of science's biggest celebrities since Albert Einstein.

Credit: University of Cambridge via Youtube

Source: University of Cambridge