Stephen Hawkings: 12 interesting facts about one of the greatest physicists ever

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Stephen Hawking a name that is not only widely known for his exemplary contributions to the world of science but also for the children's books written by him. He was a true definition of hope and persistence as he never let his physical impairments be a hurdle in his way of life. More than 5 decades after the doctors had told him 'you have only two years left'. Dr. Hawking lived for more than 50, continuing to reveal the universe's darkest secrets and becoming a medical miracle at the same time. Even if one is familiar with his academic work, there are many interesting facts about him that may be unknown about Hawking, stretching from his time at school and gradual development of disability to his opinions on the future of the human race.

Here we have 12  interesting facts about Stephen Hawkings:-

1) Birth and Death anniversary: Stephen Hawking was born January 8, 1942 on the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death. Interestingly, he on March 14, 2018 on the anniversary of Albert Einstein's birth. 

2) A mediocre student in school: It might sound absurd keeping in view his achievements but yes he was an average student academically. He couldn't even read properly until he was 8 years old. 

3) An aversion for Biology: Though his father wanted him to study medicine Hawkings was least interested as he considered it to be  'too inexact, too descriptive' and wanted to learn more precise and well-defined concepts.  He was more inclined towards Mathematics and Quantum Physics. 

4) Einstein: As a teenager with a creative mind he had once created a computer out of old clock parts, telephone switchboards and other recycled items. He had an exceptional understanding of space and time that was almost unbelievable.  Thus, he was nicknamed as Einstein by his friends.

5) Member of Oxford's Rowing team: He got into Oxford at the age of 17, on a full scholarship. His first year in Oxford had been very monotonous as he felt lonely. Later, he became a member of Oxford's rowing team and was recruited for the position where the athlete does not row but controls the direction of the boat. But he had to quit it after being diagnosed with the rare Lou Gehrig's disease when he was just 21. 

6) Physical Impairments: At the age of 21, Stephen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) and was told that he only had two years to live. MND  gradually affects the brain cells that communicate with the body’s muscles. Over time, sufferers struggle to walk, talk and even swallow without help. But, he defied the doctors' prediction and lived for five decades more than their estimate.  

7) Notorious driver: At first, he used walking sticks and crutches after his diagnosis, but as his illness got worse he had to use an electric wheelchair to get around. Later he turned out to be a notorious driver as he drove a little too fast around the streets of Cambridge and ran over other students’ toes!

8)The Machine: His speech synthesizer was created by a California-based company called Words Plus, which ran a speech program called Equalizer on an Apple II computer. It was adapted to a portable system that could be mounted on a wheelchair and this enabled him to "speak" by using a hand clicker to choose words on a screen. Later he even lost the use of his hands and so he had an infrared switch mounted on his glasses that generated words by detecting cheek movement. He had a robotic voice with an American accent and had used it for three decades. The communication technology was maintained by intel and he considered it to be a mark of his identity.

9) Never nominated for a noble prize:  Even after having made various notable discoveries like how the world began and 'the boundless universe' theory and winning various awards like the 1979 Albert Einstein Medal, the Order of the British Empire (Commander) in 1982 and the 1988 Wolf Prize in Physics. But the  Noble prize remained elusive to him.

10) Lost many bets:  Hawkings was fonds of bets over serious scientific questions. One of which was about the information falling in a black hole which is lost forever but he later changed his mind and conceded the bet. 

11)Author:  Stephen was fond of imparting his knowledge to people and wrote books. His book 'A Brief History of Time' was the bestseller of its time. It also appeared on the British Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.

12)Zero gravity shuttle: He was once taken by scientists to a zero-gravity shuttle to make him float out from his wheelchair. That was the first 4 decades that he was not having to use his wheelchair and that did make him very happy. It was thanks to Zero Gravity Corp, a service involving an aeroplane ride in which sharp ascent and descent allow passengers to experience weightlessness in flight.