The great mind Stephen Hawking dies at 76

Stephen Hawking, one of the brilliant luminary minds and theoretical scientists of our times, breathed his last on March 14, 2018. To a generation of young followers, Hawking’s image as a frail man confined to his chair, muscles too weak to form words without help of machines, or even breathe without a ventilator, was perhaps juxtaposed with his reputation as the brilliant physicist and mathematician who broke down barriers of time and dimensions.

Truth be told, Hawking was much more than that. His extraordinary aptitude for science didn’t manifest itself early in manner of child prodigies, and even his choice of Physics and Chemistry, were borne out of the fact that reading Mathematics wasn’t an option at the Oxford University in the 1950s. Yet, his refusal to heed his headmaster’s advice to appear (successfully) for scholarship exams for these, provides an early insight into his famously dogged mind, allied to sharp grasp of science. He wasn’t alone either, as the Hawking family were considered ‘highly intelligent and slightly eccentric’ by most of their neighbors.

His rise as a young scientist tragically coincided with the early onset of a rare motor neuron disease leading to muscular atrophy (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – ALS). The symptoms of initial clumsiness became frequent, eventually worsening into paralysis and loss of speech. Despite being given only 2 years to live at the time, Hawking threw himself headlong into both academic pursuits, and marital bliss with Jane Wilde.

Over time, his restricted physical movement, while allowing him more time to think about academic pursuits, overwhelmed Jane. The intrusion of nurses, help, responsibilities of family life, in addition to respective closeness to others who they would eventually marry, plus Hawking’s celebrity status as the author of several bestsellers, eventually lead to their separation. His obstinacy in accepting help and reputation for unpredictable behavior played no small part either.

Part of Hawking’s success lay in his inimitable sense of humor, and ability to make esoteric concepts of quantum physics accessible to the masses. ‘A Brief History of Time’, among others, played a huge role in popularizing quantum physics, dimensionality, vector dynamics, and introducing concepts like ‘singularity’ in friendly ways to the common audience. An atheist, Hawking has been at the forefront of finding explanations and answers in science, often proclaiming that philosophy has died for being unable to keep up with the times.

Among his signature work, black hole dynamics, singularity, Hawking radiation, and cosmology have had profound impact on modern quantum physics and understanding of gravitational relativity. He was appointed in several distinguished positions in Caltech, Cambridge University, and collaborated with leading scientists of his time for theorems. He was conferred with the Maxwell Prize, Hughes Medal, Albert Einstein Medal, honorary doctorate by the University of Oxford, Copley Medal, Adams Prize, Wof Prize, and the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom among several other awards and distinctions (tellingly he refused the knighthood)

To the end, Stephen Hawking also remained a man committed to right socio-political causes and the role of science in shaping the history in right earnest.

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