Science · United Kingdom
Stephen Hawking
Given two years to live at 21, he worked for 55 more
Born Jan 8, 1942 · Died Mar 14, 2018
See it at your ageBy age
- 0Born in Oxford, 300 years to the day after Galileo died
- 17Started at University College, Oxford, at 17
- 20Began graduate work in cosmology at Cambridge
- 21Diagnosed with motor neurone disease at 21
- 23Married Jane Wilde
- 24Completed his PhD on expanding universes
- 25First of three children born
- 32Showed that black holes emit radiation, at 32
- 37Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, at 37
- 43Pneumonia and a tracheotomy took away his voice
- 46Published A Brief History of Time at 46
- 53Divorced Jane and married his nurse Elaine Mason
- 65Flew weightless in a zero-gravity flight at 65
- 67Stepped down as Lucasian Professor at 67
- 76Died at home in Cambridge at 76
Every entry, with its source
At 0
- Jan 8, 1942
Born in Oxford, 300 years to the day after Galileo died
His parents had moved from London to escape the bombing.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 17
- Oct 1959
Started at University College, Oxford, at 17
He found the work easy and by his own account studied about an hour a day.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 20
- Oct 1962
Began graduate work in cosmology at Cambridge
He had hoped to study under Fred Hoyle and was disappointed to be assigned Dennis Sciama.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 21
- c. 1963
Diagnosed with motor neurone disease at 21
Doctors gave him about two years. The illness progressed far more slowly than expected.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 23
- Jul 14, 1965
Married Jane Wilde
He later said the engagement gave him something to live for.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 24
- Mar 1966
Completed his PhD on expanding universes
His singularity work with Roger Penrose followed.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 25
- May 1967
First of three children born
Robert, then Lucy in 1970 and Timothy in 1979.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 32
- Mar 1974
Showed that black holes emit radiation, at 32
Hawking radiation overturned the idea that nothing escapes a black hole. He was elected FRS that spring.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 37
- c. 1979
Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, at 37
The chair Newton once held. He kept it for 30 years.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 43
- Aug 1985
Pneumonia and a tracheotomy took away his voice
From then on he spoke through a computer, first by hand switch, later by a cheek muscle.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 46
- Apr 1988
Published A Brief History of Time at 46
Written to pay his children's school fees. It stayed on the Sunday Times bestseller list for over four years.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 53
- Sep 1995
Divorced Jane and married his nurse Elaine Mason
The second marriage ended in 2006.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 65
- Apr 26, 2007
Flew weightless in a zero-gravity flight at 65
He floated free of his wheelchair for the first time in decades.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 67
- c. 2009
Stepped down as Lucasian Professor at 67
He continued as director of research at Cambridge.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 76
- Mar 14, 2018
Died at home in Cambridge at 76
His ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey between Newton and Darwin.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Sources: en.wikipedia.org